Cars Origins: The Sweet Life of Fudge
by Fabulous Cars Crazy Fudge
Summary: Struck by Lightning allowed us to delve into the untold story of Lightning McQueen. Storm Chasing told us the untold story of Jackson Storm. Now, enter my OC, Fudge (pictured), a human girl growing up in Radiator Springs with big dreams to race. This is her story and Fudge tells it like it is, revealing the highs and lows she endured to make her dreams come true. Volume 1
1. P1: In the Beginning

**Fabulous Cars Crazy Fudge is back with a brand new story for y'all! This was something I thought about doing while I was reading _Struck by_ _Lightning_ and _Storm Chasing_ ages ago and while I was just rereading _Struck by Lightning_ , I figured, "Why not?" After all, I kind of want Fudge to have some role in the Piston Cup circuit (maybe as a racer, but not necessarily). Even though you know a fair bit about her general backstory, this one specifically relates to racing. So, here it is! Fudge's _Cars_ Origins story! I tried to come up with a clever title like the other _Cars_ Origins stories and this was all I could come up with. **

**This story is told in the first person from Fudge's POV and spans the events from before the first movie to around the events of the third movie and possibly after. It will have details of _Cars_ , _Cars_ _3_ , my original story, _Ride_ and possibly _Cars 2_ , but I don't think so (I'm sure you'll all know that I love _Cars 2_ ; I'm just not sure it'll be relevant in this story). I'll try not to just retell those stories, though.**

 **In the chapter names, you'll see things like P1, P2. That just means Part 1, Part 2 and so on. Since this is going to be several stories in one big story, I figured that that would be the best way to show which part we'** **re on.**

 **Now, that my explanation is out of the way, enjoy!**

 ** _Cars_ Origins: The Sweet Life of Fudge**

 **Chapter 1- In the Beginning**

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who's surprised by where I am. I guess that's because racing has been a part of my life from a very young age and my connection to racing only seemed to grow stronger as time went on. Still, what's happened to me over the past few days is something I thought I could only ever dream about. I never imagined it would become a reality. Yet, it did, thanks to so many people, but one in particular, who changed my life in so many ways, for better and for worse.

My story begins in a small town in Arizona called Radiator Springs. That's right. I'm a small town girl. Cliché, I know, but I can't help where I was born even if I wanted to. All of my life I've believed that good things can grow from bad things. I've had to, having been through what I have. The very first example of this came from the day I was born. Of course, I don't remember that, but when I was very young, I was told that my mom was passing through the small town where she abandoned me just hours after I was born. Nobody knew where she came from. Nobody knew where she went.

It is horrible to live with the knowledge that your own mother doesn't even want you. There are times, even now, where I will think about it and be unable to prevent the pain I feel. It's always going to hurt, but at least the pain is lessened by the loving family I gained in Radiator Springs. I was the only human, but that didn't matter, especially not to my adoptive parents, Luigi Topolino, a yellow 1959 Fiat 500 and Guido Rossi, a blue forklift, who ran the local tyre shop. They were the ones who gave me my last name, Rossi-Topolino, but I have no idea how I got my birth name of Brittney or my nickname of Fudge or who gave them to me (though I always went by the nickname, Fudge; I felt like it suited me because I was sweet and nutty!). Of course, since they were the ones who legally adopted me, I became the closest to them and loved them the most.

However, they weren't the only ones who raised me. I feel like it was the whole town who raised me. There's Doc Hudson, a cobalt blue 1951 Hudson Hornet, who was our town's judge and doctor and kind of like my grandfather. Lizzie, the elderly black Model T, who ran the Radiator Springs Curios, was like a grandmother to me. I saw a goofy, rusty, dented, buck-toothed tow truck by the name of Mater as my brother. Everyone else in town felt like my aunts and uncles. There was Sarge, the army Jeep, who ran a surplus store; his best friend, Fillmore, who sold organic fuel; a mint green ex-show car named Flo, who ran the town's gas station; her husband, Ramone, a Lowrider, who never stayed the same colour for very long as he ran the town's paint shop; Sheriff, the police car, a black and white Mercury Police Cruiser; our town's red fire truck named Red, easily enough and of course, Sally Carrera, the young baby blue Porsche who came into town when I was three. I loved _them_ all equally.

I don't remember specifically when my love for racing first began. I must've been very young. Luigi and Guido were die-hard Ferrari fans and would always tune into the Ferrari races. Ever since I was a baby, they would hold me while they watched the races. They have photos and videos of me laughing as I watched the cars tear it up around the track.

What I _do_ remember, though, was when I knew that I wanted to be a racer, that I was _meant_ to be a racer. One day, when I was four years old, I was sat with my fathers as they watched the race. I remember seeing a human wearing a bright red Ferrari racing suit, clutching a helmet as he made his way towards the track. Immediately, that sparked my interest. Not only had I never seen a human on the TV at these races, but at this point in my life, I'd never seen another human _at all_.

"Hey! There's a human like me!" I exclaimed, pointing to him.

Luigi smiled. "Yes. That is right."

I had my eyes glued to the screen as the human climbed onto a car's spoiler and attached his harness to a hook on the car.

"What's he doing?" I wanted to know.

"He is helping the crew chief by seeing what the races looks like from the car's point of view", Luigi explained.

I didn't know it at the time, but although it isn't a common thing, it's not unheard of either for some racers, in all forms of racing, to have a human ride with them on the track and assist the crew chief from there, kind of like extra eyes from the racer's point of view for the crew chief. Some considered it an unfair advantage, but they had the disadvantage of carrying extra weight, so most of the time, race officials allowed it.

"What's a crew chief?" I questioned.

"They help the cars, so they know what to do and when it is dangerous."

"Oh. Okay."

The three of us continued to watch in silence for a while before I declared, "That looks like fun!" with my eyes still on the assistant crew chiefs.

Luigi smiled. "Do you think so?"

"Yeah! Maybe one day, I can go that fast!" I wasn't talking about the humans. I wanted to _be_ a racer myself and go that fast. I'd never seen a human go that fast, but that didn't mean I couldn't be the first, right? Well, that's what I thought as a child, anyway. Even if, for some reason, I _couldn't_ be that fast, well, seeing the humans riding around the track had given me a backup plan.

Luigi had given me a weak smile, of which I didn't think much at the time. "I am sure you can, angel, but you don't have to decide right now. You are only four years old."

"Yeah!" I had realised. Although, I often dreamed of what I'd be like once I grew up, I could never fully imagine being that old. "I wanna be an author too! And work in the tyre shop with you guys!" I was learning how to change a tyre, what with living in a tyre shop and all. "Maybe I can do all of it!"

Luigi and Guido laughed. "Maybe!"

Once again, I didn't understand why.

So, that was when I first remember dreaming of being a racer. It was about two weeks later when things got very interesting...

* * *

Things were going well for me. Although the town was practically deserted and we didn't have much, I was happy. There was just one thing in my life that I _didn't_ like. Nobody ever told me it was coming because they knew it would freak me out. It was those mornings where Guido and Luigi would lead me out of Luigi's Casa Della Tires and, instead of going over to Flo's V8 Café like we usually did, I'd be taken over to Doc's clinic and that's when I would know. If I was being taken to see Doc and I wasn't sick or injured, then it could only mean one thing. I was getting a shot.

"No!" I wailed, beginning to cry when we went past the gas station. "We go to Flo's!"

"We will go to Flo's later", Luigi promised me soothingly. "We need to see Doc first!"

"No!" I screamed. " _ **NO**_ **!** "

"Fudgie!" Luigi cried sympathetically. "I know you don't like the shots, but you _need_ them, baby. They stop you from getting sick."

"But they _hurt_!" I protested.

"I know they do, but Guido and I don't want you getting sick." Luigi gave me a kiss. "We love you and that is why we are doing this."

"Hey, Fudge!" Doc greeted me, attempting to be as non-threatening as possible.

"No, no, no!" was my only response.

"Come on, Fudge. Please don't be like that! It's gonna be all right. I promise you."

"No needles!"

"Sorry, kiddo, but you gotta have the needles."

"Needle _s_?!" Luigi repeated, placing the emphasis on the S.

"Yeah", Doc replied, being as gentle as he could. "She's gettin' two today."

"But I don't _want_ any needles!" I was horrified. I'd never had two needles in one day before, so I know it was going to be worse than usual.

Doc sighed. "Bring 'er in. Let's just get this over with."

Pretty soon, I was settled down on the cot as Doc got his evil instruments of torture ready. My dads began to sing to me until Doc called them over. They both left my side and with nobody paying any attention to me, I only had one thought: _Run_! So, I did.

On my own, I tried to think of somewhere nobody would think to look for me. Finally, I found the perfect place: Doc's clinic. There were signs warning everyone to STAY OUT, but having just turned four, I couldn't read. So, that was where I hid.

This was the first time I'd ever been in Doc's garage and I couldn't believe how messy it was. As I looked around for something to entertain myself with until I was sure that Doc would decide not to give me a shot, I found something that definitely got my attention. It was a trophy! It was really dusty, but I was fascinated. I'd never won a trophy or any kind of award before, but I really wanted to someday, ever since I'd seen the race cars win them and I'd taken an interest in the medals Sarge had received in the army and he'd told me about them.

"Wow!" I murmured softly.

I had so many questions. Was it Doc's? Probably. What did he win it for? There was writing on the bottom, but I couldn't read it. Why did he hide it in the garage? Why didn't he want anybody to see it? If I had a trophy like that, I'd love to show everyone! What was- I looked behind some boxes curiously, seeing if what I could see was what I thought it was.

And it was! A second and third trophy! They both looked pretty much the same as the first. Beside them, there was a newspaper. On the front was a black and white photo of Doc. He had some decals and racing tyres that he didn't have anymore, but there was no doubt that it was Doc.

"Wow!" I repeated, impressed.

"Ah _ha_!" The door opened and Doc burst in. " _There_ you are!"

I burst into tears for two reasons. One, Doc had scared me. Two, now that I'd been found, I was gonna have to get my shots.

"Sorry, sorry!" he apologised hastily. "I didn't mean to scare you... What are you doin' in here, Fudge? Sign says stay out." He gestured to it.

"I can't read!" I sobbed.

Doc sighed. "All right... Well, come with me."

"I have a question", I sniffled.

"What, Fudge-O?"

"What are the trophies for?"

Doc paused. "You saw those, huh?"

I nodded. "What are they _for_?"

"If I tell you, I want you to promise me one, no, _two_ things. You will be a good girl and come with me and you won't tell anyone."

"Okay", I agreed, sitting down on Doc's hood on his invitation. I would've agreed to just about anything to know what those trophies were for.

"I used to be a race car", he informed me.

" _Really_?!" I couldn't believe it. Doc didn't look like a race car at all. Not to me, anyway.

"That's right. I used to race back in the fifties. Well before you were born."

"And you won those trophies because you were good?"

"I was... all right. They called me the Fabulous Hudson Hornet."

"Did you win lots of races?"

"A few."

"Why don't you do it anymore?"

An awkward silence followed.

"I'll tell you some other time, kiddo. We gotta go."

I had just been drying my tears, but those words made them start up again. "No needle, no needle!"

"I know", Doc began soothingly as he carried me out of the garage. "I know you don't like 'em, but you could get sick if you don't have 'em and no one wants that."

"But _I_ don't want a needle!"

"I know, but you gotta have 'em."

Sheriff was waiting outside the garage. "You got 'er."

Doc nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll go let Guido and Luigi know", Sheriff announced. "They're still lookin' for her." He drove off to inform them that I'd been found.

"It's all right, Fudge-O", Doc assured me. "Guido and Luigi'll be here in a sec. They're gonna look after you and so am I. It's gonna be all right."

"No needle!" I whimpered as I was carried into the clinic.

"Fudge, you promised me you would be good", Doc reminded me. "I've kept _my_ side of the deal and I want _you_ to do the same."

"Okay", I agreed reluctantly.

"Fudge!" Luigi exclaimed as he and Guido entered the clinic. "There you are!"

"No!" I sobbed. "No needle!"

"It is okay!" Luigi assured me. "Luigi and Guido are here!"

Guido put his arms around me and pulled me in close. "(Be a brave girl. Are you going to be brave, baby?)"

"Will it bleed?" I quizzed Doc nervously.

Doc turned around, needles ready to go. "Maybe a little."

"I don't like to bleed."

"It's gonna be all right, kiddo", he repeated, rolling up my sleeve.

I screamed and cried throughout the whole process and was relieved to no end when Doc announced, "That's it! It's over!"

"Oh, _good girl_!" Luigi exclaimed, kissing me gently.

"She _is_ a good girl", Doc agreed. He looked to me and asked the same question he always did after the shots. "Do you still love me?"

I nodded when normally I would shake my head, surprising my fathers.

After sitting down for fifteen minutes as I always did after a shot and being given a rainbow lollipop, I joined Luigi, Guido and Doc over at Flo's. As I tried to calm myself down, I also tried to remain quiet as I promised Doc.

Still, it was hard for a four-year-old to keep a secret.

"Did you guys know Doc was a race car?!" I blurted out after about three minutes at Flo's, by which point, I'd stopped crying.

The others laughed.

"What?" Luigi asked, picking me up.

"Doc was a race car!" I repeated.

"He was not!" Mater insisted.

"Yes he was!" I shot back.

"No he wasn't!" Mater repeated.

" **YES HE** _ **WAS**_ **!** "

Everyone laughed.

" **STOP LAUGHING AT ME!** " Okay, okay. So, I've always been kind of sensitive.

"We are not laughing _at_ you", Luigi assured me.

"What's goin' on?" Doc piped up, rolling towards Flo's.

"Fudge here says you were a race car", Sheriff responded. "It ain't true, is it?"

Doc smiled knowingly. "Yeah. It's true."

" _What_?!" everyone exclaimed, not believing what they'd just heard.

"Yeah", Doc replied. "Fudge and I were playin' a game. I pretended I was a race car... right, Fudge?"

Doc was staring at me and, even as an innocent, naïve four-year-old, I knew exactly what he meant.

"Yeah. Right."

Doc smiled at me. Then he scooped me off of Luigi's hood and placed me on his own. "I'll give you a dime later if you can keep it a secret."

I lit up and nodded. "Okay."

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet smiled. His secret was safe.

It was kind of cool, really. I knew a secret that nobody else in town did and I'd started what I saw as my first job, being paid to keep said secret since over the course of time, I earned way more than a dime to keep my mouth shut. Plus, I learned that I had a famous race car in my very own hometown. I was hoping that maybe he could help me become a racer, but every time I asked, it didn't go well.

"I don't wanna talk about when I was a race car, Fudge!" he insisted every time.

"Why not?" I wondered.

"Because I _don't_!" I was really trying his patience.

I didn't know why Doc didn't want to talk about being a racer. I also didn't know how I was going to become a racer if Doc didn't help me. What I also didn't know was that the answers to both of those things would come to me nearly two years later when another race car showed up and turned my whole life upside-down...

 **How was that for a first chapter? Please review.**

 **If you read my original version of _Tales From Radiator Springs_ , you may recognise the part from the story, _The Fabulous Hudson Hornet_. I just changed it to first person and shortened it to get rid of details that seemed irrelevant. So, if it feels rushed and/or doesn't flow properly, that's why.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Cars_ , but I own Fudge. I don't have any other OCs planned, but I'm not gonna rule out the possibility just yet.**


	2. P1: Lightning McQueen

**Here's the next chapter! This one takes place during the first movie. I didn't want to repeat the same stuff in my story,** ** _Life Could Be a Dream_** **and plus, Fudge is very young when this takes place and therefore, probably doesn't remember all the details. For those two reasons, this is kind of an abridged version of the first movie. I apologise in advance if it feels rushed and lacks detail. I've never written anything like this before and, as I've said before, I feel the way I improve is by keeping writing. So, bear with me. If you do want a more detailed version of Fudge in the first** ** _Cars_** **movie, then, by all means, check out** ** _Life Could Be a Dream_** **.**

 **Chapter 2- Lightning McQueen**

When I was five years old, my whole life changed. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel happy. Of course, I'd experienced sadness before, but they were minor problems and with a family like mine to look after me, said sadness was always short-lived. This time, though, that wasn't the case.

You see, when I was five, a bunch of social workers came to town and said that I would be much better off living in a larger town where I could get more social interactions as well as be raised by humans. There was nothing that any of us could do; on my sixth birthday, I was being transferred to an orphanage in Wisconsin. It would take a miracle to let me stay. Little did I know, I'd find one how and when I'd least expect it.

* * *

Late one night, I decided to go and see my fathers. Ever since the social workers showed up, I'd been traumatised (not only did they say I was being taken away from my family, but I'd learned that my own mother had abandoned me and what death was). So, I started having nightmares. I couldn't sleep, fearing that I would have another nightmare.

Luckily, Guido and Luigi let me stay up with them for a little while. It was that moment, cuddling Luigi and staring out at the quiet town that I remember vividly as the moment that my life changed forever. It started off with a distant popping noise.

"What was that?" I wanted to know, moving closer to the road. Across the street at Flo's, I could see Ramone, Sarge and Fillmore doing the same thing.

Behind me, I could hear Luigi call out, "Fudge, stay away from the road."

I barely heard him though. I was distracted by a flash of red as fast as lightning. He raced through Flo's, knocking over several oil cans in the process. It was a car! I watched him in curiosity and fear. I had never seen anyone or anything move that fast before. One second, he was at Flo's, but the next he was heading straight for me! I froze up, petrified, unable to move.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" he hollered, completely out of control.

" **FUDGE!** " I remember hearing a horrified Luigi scream behind me. Thank Chrysler he grabbed my arm and pulled me away when the car was mere inches away from me or who _knows_ what might have happened to me? I'm also very grateful that Luigi, sensing my fear, held me close to him. "Are you okay, Fudge?"

I nodded, but I couldn't say that I was. That car had really scared me. Although I still wasn't quite understanding of the concept just then, I knew that I'd almost been killed.

Relieved that I was okay, but angry that this car had strewn our tyres all over town, all Luigi, Guido and I could do was watch in disbelief as this "delinquent road hazard" as Sheriff called him (though I had no idea what the hell that meant at the time) continued to wreck our beloved town. All in under a minute, he killed a bunch of Red's flowers, somehow managed to get the statue of Stanley, our town's founder, off of its pedestal and was dragging it behind him, tearing up the road.

"What's he _doing_?" I wondered.

"I don't know, baby", Luigi replied.

I was afraid and confused. Even so, I was impressed by his speed. That was just how fast I wanted to go one day!

That was exactly why I wanted to see this car when he came to a stop. He'd gotten caught in some telephone wire and said wire had propelled Stanley across town and back onto his pedestal. Reluctantly, Sheriff let me sit on his hood as he approached the troublemaker. _That_ was when I got my first proper glimpse of the car that would change my life. The car I saw in front of me looked to me like a real race car. I never thought that Doc looked like a "real race car", but this car was bright red and had racing decals all over him, including lightning bolts and the number 95. He looked _cool_!

"Boy", Sheriff declared angrily, staring up at him, "you're in a _heap_ of trouble!"

The car didn't answer. He just passed out.

"What's gonna happen to him, Sheriff?" I questioned. Maybe he had just destroyed my hometown and almost killed me, but he was a race car! Maybe he could teach me how to go as fast as him! Besides, I had heard my family say that if customers started coming through, then the town could get back onto the map and I could stay! I didn't really understand the whole thing about getting back on the map; all I cared about was people coming through meant I could stay!

"He's goin' to the impound", Sheriff informed me. "I'm gonna get Mater to tow 'im there."

I didn't want this car to go to the impound. I wanted him to stay and talk to me about racing! Still, I decided not to question Sheriff. As much as I loved him, I'd always found him, Doc and Sarge kind of intimidating.

Still, if this car was going to the impound, then _I_ wanted to go to the impound. "I'll come too!"

"It is _way_ past your bedtime", Sheriff reminded me.

"But I'm not sleepy!" How could I be sleepy when the most exciting thing to ever happen in my lifetime had just occurred?

Just as reluctantly as before, Sheriff let me come to the impound. Unfortunately, though, I wasn't able to talk to the race car that night. As soon as he was in there, Sheriff told Sally, who had joined us along with Mater, to take me home.

* * *

Even so, as Guido and Luigi were getting me dressed to go to traffic court, all I could talk about was this super-cool, super-fast race car.

"Did you see how fast he was going?!" I quizzed my fathers excitedly. "He must have been racing at a million miles an hour!"

"Yes." Luigi didn't sound as thrilled as I did.

"Maybe he'll teach me how to go that fast! Wouldn't that be cool?! I wanna go a million miles an hour!"

"Fudge!" Luigi stopped me, sounding annoyed. "This car broke our road!"

I nodded. "I know." I was kind of angry at him for _that_ , but he was a _race car_! That was so awesome! I guess you could say I had mixed feelings about the car.

"And that is not okay", Luigi went on. "There is a time and a place for that speed. We don't want you encouraging him."

"What does _encourage_ mean?"

"Just don't talk to him."

I was disappointed that I had to do that, but I knew Luigi was serious. So, I nodded.

If you're looking for details of how traffic court went that morning, then you've come to the wrong person. Since I knew it was going to be boring and I didn't really understand what was going on, Luigi let me bring toys, paper and crayons. I spent most of the time sat drawing quietly. I was drawing the race car in front of me. After all, Luigi didn't say I couldn't do _that_!

Even though I wasn't really paying attention, I managed to get the gist of what was going on: Doc was absolutely furious. He was spitting out all kinds of threats of throwing this car who had destroyed our beloved town in jail. Yet all of that changed when he saw what _kind_ of car was in front of him. Then he seemed to do a one-eighty.

"Throw him out of here, Sheriff!" he ordered. "I want him out of my courtroom, I want him out of our town! Case dismissed!"

I didn't understand. Neither did anybody else for that matter. Why was Doc just letting this guy go when just a second ago, he'd been just as angry as everyone else? As if I wasn't confused enough, that was when Sally showed up. I don't remember exactly how that went, but there are three things I do remember about that. The first was that the race car was trying to hit on Sally! Looking back, it's kind of funny how he chose that moment to hit on her. Although, in his defence, he didn't know she was one of us. He thought she was from his attorney's office. What else would a Porsche be doing in a place like Radiator Springs? (His words, not mine!) The second was that Sally was trying to convince Doc that this car should fix the road he damaged. The second was this...

"C'mere, sweetie!" Sally whispered to me when she was trying to make a case to Doc.

So, I crawled closer to Sally, who picked me up, revealing a yellowish stain on the floor, which had been caused by me peeing.

"That's _disgusting_!" the race car called out.

That hurt. I thought he was cool, but he thought _I_ was disgusting. "You're mean! Leave me alone!"

"Go on, Sally", Doc urged her.

So, she did. "And there's still one _very_ important reason for this road to be fixed! I think we all know what's gonna happen to our Fudge if-"

Loud laughter came from the race car. "The kid's name is _Fudge_?! You've gotta be _kidding_!"

Now, I was angry. He'd just insulted me twice in under a minute. I wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Well, the social workers that had been in town a couple of months earlier had been just as mean, but still.

"Shut up!" I shouted. "I bet _you_ have a stupid name!"

"What makes you say _that_?!"

"Because you're a stupid _person_!"

As childish as it was, I can't help being a little proud of that one!

" _Anyway_ ", Sally ended our argument, "as I was _saying_ , if there is no business in the town, I think we _all_ know what's gonna happen to our little Fudge."

I wasn't sure if that was what did it or if there was more, but Sally broke Doc down and he reluctantly agreed to make the race car fix the road, to both his and the racer's dismay. Everyone else was pretty happy with that, though. The way I saw it, he was being punished _and_ he could stay to maybe teach me how to be a racer.

* * *

"He was mean to me!" I told Doc later as the car was getting to work after a failed escape attempt, which I am very sorry I missed!

"He's a race car, Fudge", was Doc's response. "They don't care about other people's feelings."

"What about you?" I wondered.

"What about me?" Doc didn't understand.

"You were a race car!"

"Ssh!" Doc hissed, wanting me to keep my voice down. Luckily, the race car was too busy cursing Radiator Springs and everyone in it to hear. Then he explained gently, hugging me, "That ain't who I am now, kiddo. Not anymore. I've grown up and become somethin' else." He gestured to the race car. "That's why he's fixin' the road! To build character!"

"What does that mean?" I wanted to know.

"It's gonna teach him a lesson. Like when we put you in timeout or make you do washin' up when you've been naughty."

I nodded. As a five-year-old, even the _mention_ of timeout or doing chores was terrifying.

Later on, after I'd helped my fathers gather up all of the tyres that had been scattered around town the night before, I grabbed my soccer ball and ran towards the race car. Now, it was Mater, who was watching him and chattering away.

"Hi!" I greeted the race car. I was hoping I could _finally_ talk to him about racing.

"What do you want, Fudge?!"

Given how he'd treated me in the courthouse, I shouldn't have been shocked by his unfriendliness, but I was. I figured maybe it wasn't a good idea to talk to him. "Just saying hi."

"Okay, _hi_. Now, leave me alone!"

Mater and I stayed close to the race car, playing soccer. We talked to him too, but now that I think about it, he wasn't listening. Even so, that didn't stop us. When he said he was a famous race car named Lightning McQueen (what an awesome name!), he had momentarily impressed Luigi and Guido until they realised that he didn't know any Ferraris. He seemed disappointed that he'd seemed to have blown his last chance to gain any popularity points in Radiator Springs. I hoped he knew that I still thought he was cool. However, that changed when a couple of minivans came into town.

Once again, I don't remember exactly what he said, but he was trying to use them as a ticket out of town. His plan did not work. In fact, they seemed to be in a hurry to get out of town.

" **YOU GOTTA HELP ME!** **DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!** " I remember him screaming. " **I'M IN** **HILLBILLY HELL! MY IQ'S DROPPING BY THE SECOND! I'M BECOMING ONE OF THEM!** "

"What's so bad about being one of _us_?" I wondered. Even now, I'm not always great at sensing what people are thinking or feeling, but it was impossible to miss the fact that _one_ _of them_ was spoken as if it were an insult.

" _You_ wouldn't understand!" Lightning informed me. "You're just a baby!"

Okay. _That_ insulted me. When I look at a five-year-old now, I think they kind of look like babies, but when I was a five-year-old myself, I didn't think so. I thought I was a big girl. After all, five was the oldest I'd ever been at the time.

"I'm _not_ a baby! I'm _five_!" I held up five fingers to make sure he got the point.

He just rolled his eyes. "Whatever!"

The two of us got into a huge argument over whether or not he'd be allowed to leave and whether or not I was a baby and it only ended when the unthinkable happened.

"You don't understand anything!" Lightning shouted at me.

That made me laugh. It was funny how this guy thought I was dumb just because I was little. I was smart. I knew I was smart. My family were always telling me that I was smart. "You're really stupid!"

"Get _lost_!" he yelled at me, giving me a hard shove.

Now, _this_ part, I remember vividly as well. Not only did I stumble backwards, but when Mater had hurried off to prepare for the potential customers, he'd left the soccer ball we had just been playing with lying on the ground (thanks, Mater!). I tripped over that and smashed my head on a brick wall nearby.

I remember blood; lots and _lots_ of blood. I remember being in a lot of pain. I remember screaming and crying. Now, my mixed feelings about him from before were a little less mixed. Anybody who knows Lightning and me now say that they can't believe we got off to a bad start with each other. Well, I can confirm that it's true and now, you know why.

" **I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!** " I screamed at Lightning.

I was relieved when my family sans Doc came racing towards me and Luigi picked me up.

"Fudgie!" he exclaimed, his voice and cuddles making me feel better already. "What happened, baby?!"

"He pushed me!" I accused, pointing at Lightning.

"I... I didn't mean to-" he stammered.

Things began to happen fast. Flo got me a damp cloth to put on the massive cut across the right side of my head. Someone had gotten Doc, who was examining me.

"Is it bad?" Sheriff asked while Doc was checking me over.

"Yeah. That's gonna need stitches."

Did he just say _yes_? And what were _stitches_? I had no idea, but whatever they were, they didn't sound good.

"Is it bad?" I asked again, wanting a better understanding of what was going on.

"You're gonna be fine", Sarge assured me. "Doc's gonna take care of that. It may hurt a little, but you can be strong, can't you, soldier?"

I wasn't so sure about that, but I knew what my family wanted to hear. So, I nodded. "Yeah."

" _You_ keep workin'!" Doc ordered Lightning. "You know, considerin' what happened, _this_ could've been a lot worse! You're just lucky it wasn't!"

I didn't like the sound of that. It sounded like he could've killed me _again_! Maybe Luigi and Guido and Doc and everyone else was right. Maybe this race car was nothing but bad news after all.

* * *

If that was true, then he wasn't exactly going out of his way to prove us wrong. When Doc had finished with my stitches (which _really_ hurt, but at least I got a lollipop!), everyone else in town gathered around me to see how I was.

"It _hurt_!" I reported to my family, still sniffling. "Doc had the _biggest_ needle I've _ever_ seen!"

Luigi laughed gently. "It was not _that_ big, Fudge." He pulled my hand away from my head as I was reaching to scratch where I'd just had stitches.

"It itches!" I protested, trying to scratch again, but Luigi held both of my hands.

"I know, but we don't want you pulling the stitches out." He gave me a kiss.

"Was she a brave girl?" Flo wanted to know.

"Yes she was!" Luigi gave me another kiss.

"We knew you could be." Sarge ruffled my hair.

I beamed proudly.

All of a sudden, we heard the sound of Bessie approaching fast.

"He can't be done already!" Sally sounded confused.

"I'm done!" Lightning announced, sounding relieved. "Look, I'm finished! Just say thank you and I'll be on my way! That's all you gotta say!"

Maybe he was finished, but it wasn't exactly a job well done. The asphalt was completely uneven, making the road bumpy. However, that didn't bother Mater, who was more than happy to try it out. Although various bits of metal were falling off of him, it wasn't about to deter our goofy, optimistic tow truck.

"It rides purty smooth!" he declared.

"It looks _awful_!" Sally cried.

"Well, it matches the rest of the town!" Lightning shot back.

I think you can guess that nobody was very happy.

"Scrape it off!" Doc ordered him. "Start over again!"

"Hey, look, Grandpa! I'm not a bulldozer! I'm a race car!"

"Is that right? Well, then, why don't we just have a little race? Me and you? If you win, you go and _I_ fix the road. If _I_ win, you do the road _my_ way."

Needless to say, everyone was more than just a little surprised by this proposition.

"Doc, what are you doin'?" Sheriff wondered.

I just grinned. I knew Doc's secret, but for some reason, he never wanted to talk about it. I was so excited to _finally_ see him race! Boy, was everyone gonna be surprised!

"I don't mean to be rude here, _Doc_ ", Lightning responded rudely, "but you probably go zero to sixty in, like, what? Three point five _years_?!"

"Well, then I reckon you ain't got nothin' to worry about", was Doc's smooth reply.

"You know what, old timer? That's a wonderful idea. Let's _race_!"

"Go, Doc!" I cheered, eager to see him beat Lightning for being mean to me.

* * *

It didn't take long for all of us to gather down by the dirt track near Willy's Butte. The two racers would drive to the butte, go around and come back.

"Gentlemen!" Sheriff barked. "Start... your... engines!"

Doc's engine started up with lots of clicks and sputters. Lightning revved his, determined to impress us all. That was the first time I'd ever heard the sound that would eventually become music to my ears. However, the first time I heard it, it made me jump. I whimpered and put my hands over my ears.

"Luigi?" Sheriff called.

Luigi, dressed up in his Ferrari attire and waving his Ferrari flag, drove up in front of the two racers. I was stood on the sidelines with everyone else, excited for this race. I wasn't sure if Doc would beat Lightning, but I really wanted him to.

"On your mark, get set!" Luigi began. " _Uno_ for the money, _due_ for the show, _tre_ to get ready and _quattro_ to... I can't believe it! _Go_!"

At the word _go_ , only fifty per cent of the racers went off. Doc remained parked at the starting line as we all watched Lightning tear it up around the track. Although I still hated him, I had to admit, I was impressed by his speed. That was exactly how fast I wanted to go when I was older.

However, I was just as confused as everyone else when Doc didn't move. I had wanted to see him race! Then again, he'd made me promise not to tell anybody about that. What _was_ he up to?

"Oh, dear", Doc announced sarcastically. "It would seem I'm off to a poor start. Well, better late than never. Come on, Mater!" he called. "Might need a little help."

Why was he asking _Mater_ to come? I wanted to know what was going on.

"Can I come?" I questioned.

"Sure, kiddo."

"Yay!"

By that point, Lightning was halfway around the track. However, when he tried to make it around a left turn, he lost control. He was sent flying into a ravine and crashing into cacti! Ha-ha! He deserved it after how mean he'd been to me! Even now, I laugh hysterically whenever I think about him crashing into the cacti.

"Hey!" Doc called out to him. "Was that floatin' like a Cadillac or was that stingin' like a Beemer?! I'm confused!"

Mater snickered.

"Stinging like a Beemer!" I cried, laughing hysterically. I pointed to the race car. "That was stinging like a Beemer, Doc! See?! He got stung by the cactuses?!"

Doc ordered Mater to fish him out while he and I went back.

"Hey, Doc!" I shouted. "I'll race you back!"

"You're on, kiddo!"

I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me back to the starting line. I loved going fast. Of course, I knew I wasn't as fast as Lightning- far from it- but I was so sure I could get there as long as I kept trying. After all, my family was telling me as long as I set my mind to it and kept trying, I could be and do anything. Doc was far behind me, probably because he was just letting me win.

I turned around and grinned at him. "Come on, slowpoke!"

Doc laughed. "I'm comin, I'm comin'!"

Well, not fast enough because guess who won that race! That's right. Yours truly.

"Yes!" Luigi exclaimed. "Fudge Rossi-Topolino is the winner!"

I was exhausted from running so much, but I was overjoyed to hear those words. "I won! I won!"

Everyone rushed forward to congratulate me.

"Congratulations, my little angel!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Way to go, soldier!" That was Sarge.

"Far out, man!" Fillmore added.

Doc grinned at me as he approached. "Good race, kiddo!"

"I beat a race car!" I proclaimed ecstatically, jumping up and down. "I'm a real racer now!"

Doc chuckled. "I guess so."

(I think he was relieved that everyone just assumed that I was talking about Lightning!)

My grin expanded, which I didn't think was possible at that point. I had just beaten Lightning McQueen _and_ the Fabulous Hudson Hornet in a race (something I've been bragging about for years!). I didn't need Lightning. I was gonna make it a racer on my own!

 **So, there's the second chapter of my _Cars Origins_ story. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm not sure when the next update is gonna be because until I finish Fudge in _Cars 3_ , this is gonna be a side project. With writing the events of the movie for that one, I only have the ending scene back in Radiator Springs to go, but I want to include some original scenes before and possibly after that.**

 **By the way, I made a decision about _Cars 2_ in this story. It won't be featured, but there will be references to it. It's not relevant to this story, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna act like it never happened.**

 **So, that's it for this chapter! I'll see you all in the next one.**


	3. P1: Change of Heart

**It's been a while since I updated this story. To tell you the truth, I've been kind of unmotivated to write it. I guess that's because I've already written the first movie. Maybe once I get onto some stuff I've never written before, I'll feel better about writing this. After this, there's only one more chapter to go of Part 1. It shouldn't be too long if I can just motivate myself to write it!**

 **At any rate, enjoy.**

 **Chapter 3- Change of Heart**

Maybe being thrown into the cacti was the lesson Lightning needed. Things really began to change after that. I didn't see him much over the next day, but I noticed him doing so much for our town. He paved a beautiful, smooth stretch of road, which inspired everyone else to fix up their shops. Radiator Springs was beginning to look good! I was impressed.

That wasn't the only good thing he did. He also agreed to go tractor tipping with Mater, accepted Sally's offer to stay at the Cozy Cone, admitted that he liked me (I hadn't been sure because sometimes he'd be nice to me and sometimes, he'd yell at me, saying that he didn't care about what I was trying to tell him) and even promised Mater and me he'd let us ride in his helicopter if he won the lucrative Dinoco sponsorship. I was so excited for that!

* * *

The next morning, we were all gathered at Flo's when Lightning showed up, seemingly in a hurry.

"Did you know Doc was a famous race car?!" he quizzed us in a hurry.

Well, _I_ did. Not anybody else, though. They just burst out laughing. Well, I laughed too for two reasons. First of all, I tended to just laugh whenever other people did. Second of all, I'd tried to tell Lightning that the day before, but did he listen? _No_! He just told me that he didn't care.

"No, no, no, no, it's true!" Lightning told them. "He's a real racing legend! He's the Fabulous Hudson Hornet!"

"Fabulous?" Flo repeated. "I've never seen Doc drive more than twenty miles an hour. I mean, have you ever _seen_ him race?"

It was at those words that I realised that I never _had_ seen him race. I really wanted to see him race. Especially when Lightning told everyone...

"No, but I wish I could've. They say he was _amazing_! _He won three Piston Cups!_ "

Mater spat out his oil. "He did _what_ in his cup?!"

"Didn't Fudge once say something about Doc being a race car?" Luigi questioned.

"She has!"

Lightning looked at me. "Fudge. You..."

"He is!" I insisted, nodding. _Finally_! Someone else knew! Maybe now I wouldn't have to worry about keeping secrets.

" _Thank_ you!" Lightning cried.

However, when I caught a glimpse of Doc's angry face, I was afraid. I've always hated making people angry, so I decided to take it back. "We were playing a game!" Okay. I was just going to keep it a secret a little while longer.

Lightning's eyes widened, looking like I'd betrayed him or something. "What?"

"Doc and I always play this game!" I went on, jumping up and down, feeling a little guilty since I thought Lightning would be mad at me, but I fought it off. It was either that or making Doc angry at me. "I told you about that game! Sometimes, he pretends to be a race car! I told you about our game! Lightning was playing with us yesterday! Because _he_ really _is_ a race car!" I decided to add that last part in to make it a little more believable.

"Well, that makes a little more sense", Sheriff declared.

"But could you imagine if Doc really _was_ a race car?" I added, giggling as if it was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. "That would just be silly."

* * *

Later on, when Sally had invited Lightning off on a drive up to the Wheel Well, Doc came to see me. He paid me another dime for keeping his secret. Then he paid me an extra dollar for doing him a favour: changing his whitewalls for his old racing tyres.

"I've done one!" I sung proudly as I made sure the first racing tyre was on properly.

"Good job, kiddo!" Doc congratulated me.

"Are you gonna race, Doc?" I wondered, eyeing the second tyre I was getting on.

"Maybe", he answered. "I ain't sure just yet."

"Why not?" I wondered.

"It's been a long time, Fudge-O", he explained gently. "I _want_ to, but I don't know if I still got it in me."

"Can I watch?!" I questioned. I _really_ wanted to see how fast Doc could go.

"If you want", he responded. "But you gotta be quiet and let me do my thing, all right?"

"All right", I agreed.

I was quiet and patient for a long time, but nothing happened. He parked by Willy's Butte, silent and still for ages. It was like this for so long that Lightning showed up before Doc moved. He joined me in waiting for something to happen.

"Come on, Doc!" he whispered. " _Drive_!"

Even though Doc couldn't hear Lightning, it was as if he'd said the magic words. Doc's engine came to life.

"Come on, Doc!" I whispered, eager to see the magic happen before my very eyes.

When he finally left the starting line, I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I'd _never_ seen Doc go that fast! In fact, he was normally so slow, I had a little trouble _believing_ him when he said he was a race car. Now, I had no doubts that it was true.

That was also the time I first saw a racing manoeuvre that I would witness a lot over the course of my life: the turn right to go left trick. When Doc got to the left turn that had wiped Lightning out during the race, he turned his wheels to the right, allowing him to drift across the dirt.

"Wow!" I exclaimed softly. I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was _incredible_!

When Doc came to a stop, I just had to congratulate him.

"Yay, Doc!"

"Yeah? You like that, kiddo?" he asked me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I nodded excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Wow!" Lightning added. "You're _amazing_!"

Not surprisingly, Doc wasn't very happy to see him. Although Lightning was beginning to change everyone's minds about him, he still hadn't won Doc over just yet. So, the older race car scooped me up on his hood and took off as fast as he could.

"Doc, be careful!" I cried. I'd never gone this fast on a car before. Even though I wanted to do this for a living one day, I was a little afraid.

"I'm bein' careful", he assured me. "I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I wasn't so sure.

When we got back to Doc's clinic, Lightning was right behind us.

"Doc, hold it! Seriously! Your driving is _incredible_!" he insisted.

"Wonderful! Now, go away!" was the cold response he got.

I was beginning to get the sense that I should leave too. I didn't want to see Doc get angry. I don't think it would've been my fault, but I still would've been afraid. Lightning was trying to convince Doc that he still had it and that the two of them were the same, but Doc wasn't having any of it. Until...

"How could a car like you quit at the top of your game?" Lightning demanded.

Doc was silent for a while and I was beginning to get afraid.

"You think I quit?"

He switched on a light to reveal a newspaper article. It showed him in a big wreck and he didn't look too good. When Lightning read the headline to me ("Crash. Hudson Hornet out for season."), I was shocked. Doc had had a big crash. I sure hoped that never happened to _me_ when _I_ started racing.

The next words out of Doc's mouth were another part of that week that I remember vividly.

" _They_ quit on _me_. When I finally got put together, I went back, expecting a big welcome. You know what they said? _You're history_! Moved right onto the next rookie standing in line. There was a lot left in me", he added sadly. "I never got a chance to show 'em."

 _Poor Doc_ , I thought sympathetically. Looking back on it, I'm not sure how I understood all of what he was saying. I was five years old! How could I _possibly_ know what he was saying? I just know I did. Although, I guess I didn't _really_ understand until I was older and was going through something similar.

"I keep that", Doc went on, his voice bitter once again as he pointed to the article, "to remind me never to go back. I just never expected that that world would... would find me here."

Again, I didn't pick up on this at the time, but later in life, I began to feel guilty about learning this. I had constantly been pestering him about the one thing in life that he wanted to forget. No wonder he paid me to keep his past a secret (being four and five, it was the only way he could make sure I kept my mouth shut) and got mad at me whenever I talked about racing.

"Hey, look, Doc, I'm not _them_ ", Lightning protested.

"Oh, yeah?" Doc didn't sound convinced in the least.

"No I'm not!"

"When is the last time you cared about something except for yourself, hot rod?" Doc wanted to know. "You name me one time and I will take it all back."

I was wondering what Lightning was going to say. Sure, he'd been a jerk at the start of his time in Radiator Springs (it still hurt where I'd had stitches), but he was becoming a lot nicer now. In fact, I was convinced he really _did_ like me. I know _I_ liked _him_. As it turned out, though, Lightning didn't say _anything_. He'd come to the realisation that Doc was right. He had _never_ cared about something except for himself.

"Uh-huh. I didn't think so. These are good folk around here, who care about one another-"

"Including me?" I piped up timidly. I just had to know if Doc thought I was good.

After a long pause (I wondered why there was such a long pause, but looking back, I'd been silent for so long, Doc probably forgot I was there), Doc smiled and scooped me up onto his hood. "Yes. Including you", he confirmed, making me _very_ happy. However, he sounded angry again as he added, "I don't want 'em dependin' on someone they can't count on. _Especially_ not Fudge. I don't want any bad influences on this little girl."

"Oh, like _you_?!" Lightning shot back. "You've been here _how_ long and your friends don't even know who you are? Who's caring about only himself?!"

I guess Lightning had a point. I think Doc did too, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Just finish that road and get out of here!" the Hudson Hornet snapped before storming off with me. I kind of wanted to stay with Lightning, but I knew better than to protest.

Although, apparently, I didn't know better than to not talk about racing.

"So, you don't race anymore because you crashed?" I asked.

"No, I don't race anymore because they didn't _want_ me to after the crash!" Doc corrected angrily.

"Were you sad?" I wondered.

"Mostly angry."

"Do you wish you could still race?" I would _hate_ to be told I couldn't race.

"No. I got a new life here."

"But racing-" I began.

"That's enough, Fudge", Doc stopped me, definitely losing his patience.

However, I couldn't take the hint. "But I still have questions-"

" _I said that's enough!_ "

So, I didn't say anything for a while.

Doc was the next one to speak.

"Do you wanna change my tyres back now?"

I almost protested since I wanted him to race again, but that practically would've been a suicide mission. I just exchanged his racing tyres for his whitewalls without a word.

"Done!" I declared.

Thank Chrysler Doc had calmed down by then and gave me a smile. "Thanks, Fudge. You're a big help."

I gave a smile too, which only got bigger when Doc announced that he could remove my stitches soon. Despite the fact that I was still a little shaken up by Doc's earlier outburst, I was _very_ happy by the time I went to bed that night. Sure, hearing of how the Fabulous Hudson Hornet's career had ended was sad, but I couldn't see past the fact that I had witnessed one of the greatest racers of all time race around our home track. It was spectacular. All in all, it was a pretty good day.

* * *

That day had been pretty good, but it was nothing compared to the next day. Well, _most_ of the next day, anyway. The day got off to a bad start when we found the town's road completely finished and Lightning nowhere in sight.

"He's gone?" Flo was the one to voice the sadness and disbelief we were all feeling.

"Well", Sarge spoke up, trying to sound logical and less upset than he really was, "we wouldn't want him to miss that race of his."

That may have been true, but all I could think about was how he'd always said he wanted to finish fixing the road and get out of town as fast as possible to go to California. Now, he'd done that. He was never coming back. I was never going to see him again.

Or so I thought!

"What's wrong with Red?" he questioned, approaching when the fire truck sped off in tears.

Needless to say, we were all surprised and _very_ happy.

"What are you doing here, son?" Sheriff questioned once everyone had recovered from the shock and everyone was caught up to speed (it took Mater longer than everyone else to realise that Lightning was still there!). "You're gonna miss your race! Don't worry. I'll give you a police escort and we'll make up the time."

"Thank you, Sheriff, but you know I can't go just yet."

"Well, why not?" Sheriff wondered.

Personally, I didn't _care_ why Lightning wasn't leaving. I just wanted him to stay.

"I'm not sure if these... _tyres_ ", he began to Guido's, Luigi's and my excitement, "can get me all the way to California."

My fathers were deliriously happy to get Lightning into a set of whitewall tyres.

"Can I do it next time?" I asked Luigi after watching Guido change the tyres at an amazing speed.

Luigi laughed. "We will see."

Since Lightning had come over, I decided to show him pretty much everything I owned. After all, everyone else had already seen my possessions a million times. I was glad to have someone new to show them all to. I was especially excited to show him my collection of toy racing cars.

"Wow! You sure do like race cars!" he commented.

I nodded. "I wanna be a racer one day!"

Lightning smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah! I've seen humans do it! I want to too!"

"Well, I'm sure you will."

I beamed. If a real race car was telling me that, then I was sure I could.

* * *

The rest of the day was just as awesome as the start. We all had a huge water fight near Willy's Butte. Then Lightning and I went around town for a shopping spree where we also informed everyone of our big surprise for Sally later that night. While we did that, I worked on a secret project as a surprise of my own.

As it was beginning to get dark, we were ready. I thought I was going to explode with excitement when Mater called out, "Here she comes!"

"Okay, places, everybody!" Lightning instructed us. "Hurry! Act natural!"

With the exception of Red and Lizzie over at the curio shop, we all stood in a straight line, blocking the entrance to Ramone's House of Body Art. I was jumping up and down until Luigi picked me up, so I wouldn't reveal that something was going on...

...Because everyone else decided they wanted to do that themselves!

"Hi, Sally!" they all greeted her in unison.

All that did was make her suspicious. "All right. What's going on?"

"Ladies and gentlecars!" That was Mater. "Please welcome the _new_... Lightnin' McQueen!"

Out came the new Lightning McQueen, complete with his new paint job. He was a sparkly red and had white ovals with lightning bolts on his side. He had no racing decals or his number. He looked amazing!

"What do you think?" he quizzed Sally. "Radiator Springs looks pretty good on me."

Sally laughed. "I'll say!"

"Excuse me?" I piped up, too excited to wait any more to present Lightning with a surprise of my own.

All eyes were on me.

"Yes, Fudge?" most of my family asked.

"I have something for Lightning."

I think _that_ got the race car's interest. "What is it, Fudge-O?"

"This." I gave it to him and prayed that he'd like it.

It seemed as though he did because as soon as he saw it, he exclaimed, " _Awww_!"

I had drawn my entire family, except for Doc, surrounding Lightning, who was sporting whitewall tyres and night vision goggles and drinking from a can of organic fuel. I had a water gun and was sending a stream of water into his face. The sun was shining and everyone in the picture had big smiles on their faces. At least, that's what I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be. I have never been good at drawing. I can barely draw a stick figure. Lightning _still_ has that drawing to this day and sometimes when I look at it, I can't tell what everything was supposed to be or if I did, how it looked anything like what it was supposed to be.

Sally looked at my drawing too, realising why I had drawn it. "Oh, my goodness! It looks like you've helped everybody in town", she informed Lightning.

"Everybody except one", he corrected her. "Hey! Is it getting dark out?!" he called to Red and Lizzie across the street.

It took them a while to put the plan into action, but when they did, it was... well, there are no words. I remember _this_ vividly as well. The song "Sh-Boom" started playing and all of the town's neon lights came on. The cars were all cruising. I put on my bubble machine too! _Breathtaking_ doesn't even begin to describe it.

"Magic!" I remember shouting, laughing in great glee as I spun around Main Street, chasing the bubbles. "It's like magic!"

I laughed a _lot_ that night. Everyone took turns dancing with me and when Lightning asked Sally to cruise, he was whisked away by Lizzie. Mater and I had to rescue him (the first of many missions Mater and I successfully completed together!). It was just the most amazing night.

* * *

Unfortunately, though, the amazing night-ness was short-lived. I don't know how it happened. All I remember is one second we were all cruising and having the time of our lives. The next, a spotlight shone down on Lightning and a flood of reporters had taken over our town.

"We have found McQueen!" I remember hearing a voice shout. "We have _found_ McQueen!"

This was the first time I'd experienced the press, which I have experienced many more times in my life now. That first time, though, I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what to say or do either. I was completely boxed in and I couldn't see my family at all. Reporters kept talking to me. I tried to answer their questions, but there were just too many of them.

"Luigi?" I called out. "Guido?"

I don't know if they could see or hear me, but I couldn't see or hear them. I wanted to cry, even more so when someone pushed me over, trying to chase after Lightning and his driver, Mack, who were on their way out of town.

Wait! What?! It had all happened so fast that I barely had time to realise that Lightning was leaving. He just got in his trailer and then he was gone. I think we were all convinced that he was never coming back. After all, that was all he'd talked about when he first arrived in Radiator Springs. When he _first_ arrived in town. He became a lot nicer over time. Did he still want to forget about the town? And us? I hoped not, but I was sure that I would never see him again after that. Oh, how wrong I was.

As all of the reporters were racing after Mack, I finally managed to see Doc. I could easily get to him without being killed. So, I did.

"Who _were_ all of those people?" I wanted to know once I was safely on his hood.

"Reporters", he explained. "You know, like the ones you see on TV?"

I nodded. They had asked _me_ questions. Maybe _I'd_ be on TV! Still... "They scared me. They were yelling at me and they wouldn't leave me alone."

"Yeah. They do that."

That was when Kori Turbowitz approached us. I didn't know who she was at the time, but I do now. All I knew then was that she was a member of the press; the crazy, wild, unpredictable press. I curled up into a ball on Doc's hood, fearing what Kori would say and do.

"Hey. Are you Doc Hudson?" she asked Doc.

"Yeah."

"Thanks for the call." Then she drove away.

What did she mean by that?

Sally had overheard and came over. " _You_ called them?" she questioned incredulously.

What? _He_ sent Lightning away? I knew Doc never liked him, but didn't he know _I_ did? We _all_ did? Or did he just not care?

"Why did you call them?" I demanded.

"That race car doesn't belong here, Fudge", Doc informed me. "He never did. You'll see it one day." Looking at Sally, he added, "You _all_ will."

Nope. I _still_ don't see it.

Sally decided that she'd heard enough.

"Come on, sweetie!" she called to me, driving away. "Let's find Luigi."

"Why doesn't he belong here?" I quizzed Doc as I slid off his hood. "You guys always told me Radiator Springs is a happy place and anybody's welcome here!"

" _This. Is. Different!_ " I was shocked by his anger and started to back away. "He's not like other cars! Or even humans! He's a _race_ car!"

" _So?!_ " Sally shot back. "What difference does _that_ make?!"

"Yeah!" I was still afraid, but if Sally wasn't backing down, then neither was I. "I love him! And anyway, _you're_ a ra-"

Maybe I _should've_ backed down. If I had, then what happened next never would've done so. I knew that for a large portion of the week, both Lightning and I had been testing Doc's patience. He was bound to snap at some point. Still, I never saw it coming. Doc hit me.

He slapped me right where I'd had stitches the other day, so it hurt _a lot_! Nobody had _ever_ slapped me like that before, so it hurt _a lot emotionally_ too. I started bawling and Sally made a pretty big show of comforting me. Even though she was partly doing it for Doc's benefit, it was mostly for mine and I felt a little better. She was as shocked as I was by what Doc had just done. I think even _Doc_ was too, but I'm not sure.

"Doc! How could you _do_ that?!" Sally demanded.

At that moment, through my tears, I realised something: both Lightning and Doc had had a change of heart over the course of the week. There was just one difference: Lightning's had been for the better.

 **Please review.**


	4. P1: My First Race

**Hi! Here's the last chapter of _COTSLOF_ part one! Honestly, I've been feeling a little unmotivated with this story, but I am going to try to continue it.**

 **Chapter 4- My First Race**

Like I said, that night I was convinced that I would never see Lightning McQueen again and the thought of that upset me just as much as Doc hitting me. So, as you can imagine, that night was a really rough one for me. It took Luigi ages to get me to calm down and go to sleep and only did so with the aids of ice cream, songs and stories. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. I had a nightmare later that night too. So, Luigi and Guido had to deal with that. I'm pretty sure they were awake anyway. It was a long night and my mood did not improve in the morning.

First, Doc removed my stitches (which hurt!) and then we all gathered at Flo's. I refused to look at Doc and so did Sally. I don't know when someone turned the TV on or who did it, but I remember at some point we found ourselves with the TV on. They were talking about Lightning (of course they were!) and _that_ was the first of many times I saw myself on TV. (Boy, that week was _full_ of firsts for me!)

" _He broke the road! He had to stay here and fix it!_ " I shouted, pointing to the road.

" _Why did you make a_ race car _fix your road?!_ " one of the many reporters asked me. " _Why_ _couldn't anyone else here have done it?_ "

" _He had to, he had to! He broke it, so he had to fix it!_ " I insisted, jumping up and down. " _If_ _he beat Doc in a race, he could leave, but he didn't! He fell into the cactuses!_ "

"Hey! Look!" I exclaimed excitedly. "That's _me_! I'm on _TV_!"

Now when I see myself on TV, it's more like, _Oh, there I am again._

We didn't get to watch the TV for very long before Doc turned it off.

"We were watching that!" I protested before shrinking back. I didn't want him to hit me again.

"I need to talk to all of you", Doc informed us.

By then, we all knew that Doc had sent Lightning away, so nobody was particularly interested in whatever he had to say...

However, that changed the second he opened his mouth.

"So, last night, I did some thinkin'. The rookie has no pit crew, no crew chief and no friends. He's got no one to support him at this big race. So... what do ya say we head out to California to..."

I was the first one to okay the idea. "Yeah!"

Everyone laughed before also agreeing.

"Peet stop!" Guido added.

Not only that, but Doc apologised to me for hitting me. I smiled. Maybe things were different now that Lightning had arrived, but all was right in the world again!

* * *

"We're going to a race!" I shouted, jumping around as everyone else rushed to get ready. "We're going to a race!"

"Actually, kiddo", Doc began gently as he headed over to Ramone's to get back into his racing paint job, "I was thinking it would be best if you stayed here with Sally, Red and Lizzie." Those three were staying behind (I'm not sure why _Sally_ was staying; I would've thought she would want to see Lightning).

" _No_!" I whined. "Why?!"

"It's gonna be loud, Fudge", he explained. "And there are gonna be a lot of people there. You could get lost."

I think the real reason he didn't want me to come was because he thought I was going to be in the way.

"But I really, _really_ wanna go!" I pleaded, jumping up and down. "I wanna see the race! _And_ I wanna see Lightning again! Please, Doc! _Please_!"

Doc was silent for a while. "I guess seein' a race would be a dream come true for you, huh?" He knew how much I loved racing.

I nodded.

"And I guess I owe you for hittin' you."

I nodded again. " _Please_!"

Finally, Doc decided, " _If_ it's all right with Guido and Luigi, then I guess it's all right with me."

"Yay! Let's ask them!"

Guido and Luigi were as unsure as Doc and for the same reasons, but were also understanding of the fact that I _really_ wanted to go to a real race. So, they let me come. I was over the moon! So, that was how I found myself at the Piston Cup tiebreaker race!

* * *

While everyone else was preparing, I wasn't sure of what to do. First, I helped my fathers pick out tyres. Then I decided to see if I had something I could wear to the race. However, all of my racing attire was Ferrari-related and Luigi told me there weren't any Ferraris in this race. I would have to make do with the clothes I was wearing: white T-shirt under a dark pink dress, white socks and white sneakers. It wasn't really a race day outfit, but my family insisted that I looked nice and I wanted to look nice for this race. Still, I made a mental note to get some racing attire I could wear to a Piston Cup race.

My next stop was Ramone's to watch him paint Doc.

"What are _you_ gonna do, Doc?" Everyone else had been rushing around to do a different job for the race like my fathers being in charge of tyres and Sarge and Fillmore being in charge of fuel. However, I hadn't noticed Doc doing anything like that and I was quite surprised that he wanted to go to the race, considering how much he hated Lightning.

"I'll be the crew chief."

"I know what that means!" Even though Doc obviously knew, I had to explain it to him.

The Hudson Hornet nodded proudly. "That's right."

I beamed. "Have you ever seen the human ones on TV who do that?!" I wondered.

"Yeah, I have. We even had a couple of those back when I raced."

Perfect. "That looks like fun! I might wanna do that when I grow up. And work in the tyre shop and be an author."

Doc tried to hide a smile. "Really?"

"Yeah! It looks like fun!" I insisted. "But so does writing and the tyre shop! Luigi says I'm only five, so I don't have to decide right now."

"Luigi's right", Doc confirmed.

(Now, when I'm seventeen, I think all of you reading this know what path I ended up going down!)

"Did _you_ have a crew chief when you raced?" I asked, eager to hear a little bit more about the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, hoping he wouldn't get mad at me for asking.

As it turned out, he was happy to answer all of my questions this time around. I guess he was trying to make it up to not just me, but all of us for hiding his past. "I sure did. Not a human one, though. He was a truck."

"Who was your crew chief?" I wanted to know.

"His name was Smokey." There was a moment of silence before Doc kept talking. "Wow. I ain't thought about _him_ in a _long_ time."

I wanted to ask Doc more questions, but he seemed kind of distracted.'

 _Finally_ , we were all gathered at Flo's, preparing to depart. I was so excited that I was bouncing up and down.

"It's gonna be hard to calm 'er down!" Doc commented with a laugh. "It's gonna be a long drive from here to California."

He was right. It _was_ a long drive. We were all singing "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts at the top of our lungs. I drove some pictures of the scenery, taking in all of the sights on my first ever adventure outside of Radiator Springs. I kept asking everyone if we were nearly there and must've driven them all crazy. At long last, though, we _were_ there, pulling into the Los Angeles International Speedway.

* * *

Now, the race is another part of that week where my recount is exactly the most reliable one (I don't remember much of the drive I just described earlier; I just know I did all of that stuff because my family told me). Still, I'll try. Once we'd gotten in, thanks to the security guard, falling all over Doc, I saw that Doc was right once again: It was big and _very_ loud. There were people- racers, their crews, members of the press- everywhere, coming from every which way.

"Hey! Move it, kid!" one of Chick Hicks's pitties barked at me, shoving me out the way as he and several of his buddies came through.

To make matters worse, they were followed by a bunch of reporters. By then, my family was gone. I couldn't see them at all. I remember crying.

The race started before I could be found, so even though I was afraid, I couldn't help myself from watching. I would've enjoyed it too if Lightning was doing well. He almost missed the start and seemed to be lagging behind. I don't know what was wrong with him; normally, he was super-fast! Why was he losing?! He was even losing to Chick Hicks! Over the week he'd been in Radiator Springs, I'd heard him complain a lot about Chick Hicks and what a jerk he was (over time, I learned that he was right!). I wanted him to beat the jerk!

The other racer in the three-way battle for the Piston Cup was Strip "The King" Weathers, who I noticed had the Dinoco sponsorship. If Dinoco was as great as Lightning made it out to be, then he had to be a good racer. He sure _looked_ like a great racer! He was in the lead! Even though Lightning was my favourite, I _did_ like The King.

"Fudge! There you are!" a familiar voice came from somewhere behind me.

"Sarge!" I shouted, running towards him and jumping onto his hood.

"Where've you been, soldier? We've been looking all over for you!"

"I've been right here! People got in my way, so I waited for someone to find me. And you did!"

"All right. Well, good thing you stayed in the one spot", Sarge told me. "Let's go!"

He carried me back to the pits.

"There is my little angel!" were the first words I heard when we got back to the pits. They came from Luigi, who cuddled me, making me feel a little better.

"(Where have you been?)" Guido asked.

I told them my story again, emphasising how scared I was, earning me more sympathy.

"Sssh... Sssh... You are here now, angel." Luigi kissed me gently. "Luigi's here... Luigi's here."

"And now, we can get back to work", Doc announced, driving up on top of the crew chief stand. "The rookie needs us."

"What does _rookie_ mean?" I wanted to know. I thought I knew, but I wasn't sure.

Luigi explained and I was happy to note that I was right.

I looked around. Sarge and Fillmore had the fuel, Luigi and Guido had the tyres. "What can I do to help?"

"Whenever Lightnin' comes past", Doc told me, "you cheer as loud as you can, all right? You can do that, can't you, kiddo?"

I most definitely could do that! Not only that, but I _wanted_ to do that too. So, I nodded and fixed my eyes on the race yet again.

* * *

About fifty laps into the race, The King was still in the lead. Chick was still second and Lightning was still in third. Although, not for long, maybe. Lightning was trying to overtake Chick.

" **YES!** " I cried excitedly.

However, Chick had other plans. He drove out in front of Lightning, stopping him from getting in front.

" **NO!** " I cried.

To make matters worse, a couple of seconds later, Lightning was really far behind _and_ he nearly crashed into the wall. He had to hurry to avoid it and spun out onto the infield.

"What's he _doing_?" I wondered, confused.

"I think he is a little distracted, Fudgie", Luigi explained gently.

"By what?"

"I think he is thinking about us."

"Really?" I was flattered.

"I think so."

"Hey, kid!" Mack radioed to Lightning from beside me. "You all right?"

I didn't hear his reply, but when Doc got on the radio to tell him we hadn't come all this way to see him quit... I still remember the look on his face.

"I knew you needed a crew chief", Doc began, "but I didn't know it was _this_ bad." There was a pause as Lightning spoke. "Well, I really didn't have a choice. Mater didn't get to say goodbye."

" **GOODBYE!** " Mater hollered into Doc's radio. "Okay. I'm good."

I remember that Lightning came into the pits and then the race went on for a while. Lightning was still in last place and nearly a lap down, but he was doing much better after knowing we were there. Although, I don't remember many of the details of that. The next thing I _do_ remember is people beginning to notice Doc. The other pit crews were the first to start staring. Next thing I knew the cameras had shifted to Doc and I could see him on the big screen, sending the crowd wild. I smiled. I knew, even then, that Doc had finally gotten the big welcome he expected fifty years earlier.

Once again, I can't tell you all of the details of the rest of the race. The next thing I remember is Chick ramming into Lightning, causing one of his rear tyres to burst.

"Hey!" I shouted, horrified that he would do that.

"Can you get back to the pits?" Doc quizzed Lightning. Then he announced, "Hey. Got a yellow. Bring it in. Don't tear yourself up, kid."

"Yellow flag means caution!" I explained, even though everyone probably already knew.

Doc beamed at me. "That's right, kiddo."

"We gotta get him back out there fast or we're gonna be a lap down and we'll _never_ win this race!" Mack wailed, voicing everyone else's concerns.

"Guido!" Doc barked. "It's time!"

My father took on an expression of determination, eager to prove himself to Chick's pitties, who apparently had been taunting him earlier, but I don't remember anything about that...

Of course, Guido _did_ prove themselves to them. I'm not surprised. Guido is the fastest tyre changer in the world. I seriously think that someone should tell the _Guinness_ _Book of World Records_ about him. He was so fast in changing all four of Lightning's tyres that all of Chick's pitties' grilles fell off in astonishment. Not only did Lightning get out of the pits in record time, but he even beat the pace car out!

"Guido, you did it!" someone cheered as we all crowded around the forklift, who just smiled proudly.

"Way to go, Guido!" someone else added.

"(Go, Guido! I love you!)" I gave Guido a big hug and kiss, both of which he returned.

* * *

Before long, it was the final lap. Lightning was right behind The King and Chick. It was definitely going to be close.

"Come on, Lightning!" I hollered as loud as I could.

"This is it, kiddo", Doc informed him through the radio and told him what to do. "Go!"

So, he went, determined to catch up to the other racers. However, Chick wasn't having any of it. He did everything in his power to stop Lightning from getting in front of him. Chick tried to block him over and over again and even tried slamming him into the wall! But Lightning never touched any wall unless he wanted to. He managed to get out of the way and Chick hit the wall instead. Still, Chick wasn't done yet. He slammed into both of the other racers, leaving him and The King skidding across the track and Lightning out of control in the grass.

Yet what nobody knew was just how much Lightning McQueen had learned during his time in Radiator Springs. He drifted across the dirt just as Doc had done back by Willy's Butte. I remember being blown away as he left a trail of dirt behind him, which I thought looked like flames! I'm pretty sure Doc was impressed too and nobody could believe it when Lightning made it back onto the track. Even better, he was in first place!

" **YES!** " I screamed. " **GO, LIGHTNING!** "

"Float like a Cadillac", Doc began the quote that Lightning had used during their race.

"Sting like a Beemer!" Lightning finished.

"Go, Lightning!" I repeated, jumping up and down excitedly. Like everyone else, I was convinced that the Piston Cup was his. I don't think _anybody_ was expecting the end of that race to turn out like it did, but it is a moment that has stayed with me for the rest of my life.

Since Lightning had claimed the lead, The King was now in second and Chick was in last place. Now, I'm sure a lot of you know that Chick Hicks is a car who never let anything stand between him and the checkered flag. He would do whatever it took to win. Even so- granted I hadn't seem him race to that day- I think what he did next was a new low even for _him_.

"I am _not_ coming in behind you again, old man!" he groaned.

With those words, he performed the infamous PIT manoeuvre. He hit The King hard, sending him airborne. That was when Guido turned me away, holding me close to him and hiding my face, so I couldn't see what was going on.

A couple of seconds later, I squirmed in Guido's grip and the sight of the wrecked race car horrified me. It still does, but now, to some extent, I'm used to it (sort of; you _never_ get fully used to that kind of thing). The King was covered in scratches and dents. It looked so similar to Doc in that newspaper article. Apart from scattered gasps, the entire stadium was silent.

If the crash was unbelievable, then there are no words to describe what happened next. It had even failed to escape Lightning's attention and the sound of squealing tyres made me cringe. Lightning had stopped right in front of the finish line. I'm pretty sure I was feeling the same confusion as everyone else when he let Chick shoot past him. I don't think anybody knew what he was doing, except for Doc.

Lightning reversed back, heading towards The King.

"What's he doing?" I whispered to Luigi.

Luigi didn't answer. He just watched Lightning as the whole stadium was. The rookie racer was pushing the retiring champion towards the finish line.

"I wanted The King to finish his last race", he told me later when I asked him about it. "That crash was no way to end a legendary career like his."

"Kind of like Doc!" I realised.

He'd smiled and nodded. "That's right. You're pretty smart for a five-year-old, Fudge-O."

I beamed with pride at that comment.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm proud of him for doing that, but I still feel like he deserved to win and Chick most definitely didn't. I guess it doesn't matter really. Whenever anybody remembers the race, guess what everyone remembers about it! Lightning was hailed as a hero and Chick was booed offstage and had things thrown at him when he received his trophy (I got to see that; it was _hilarious_!). It just goes to show that hard work, sportsmanship and caring are what real racing was all about. It was also the difference between winning and being a winner. I promised myself that I would try to remember that for when _I_ became a racer. And I did.

"Hey!" two rusty cars called out to me and the rest of my family. "You're Lightnin' McQueen's pit crew?"

Duh!

Doc nodded. "Yeah we are."

"It's an honour to meet you all", one of them began.

"Especially the Fabulous Hudson Hornet!" the second one added. "I'm Rusty and this is my brother, Dusty. We're Lightnin' McQueen's sponsors."

"The Medicated Bumper Ointment!" I shouted excitedly.

Everyone turned to look at me in surprise.

"That's right", Dusty confirmed. "Who's this cute little girl?"

"I'm Fudge!" I introduced myself with a smile.

"Why don't you come and talk to us for a while?" Rusty suggested to all of us.

So, we all followed them and Mack back to their sponsor tent, chattering away about the race. However, when Lightning showed up, all of the attention was on him.

"You made us proud, kid!" Rusty declared.

"Congrats on the loss, me bucko!" Mack chimed in.

Lightning looked to Doc, who was smiling at him.

"You got a lot of stuff, kid."

Lightning returned the smile. "Thanks, Doc."

Finally, Lightning had won over an entire town of people who once hated him.

I decided to run to him for a hug. "You deserved to win!" I voiced my opinion, climbing up onto his hood.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" the stock car exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy to see me. "How's your head?"

"Better." It was partly better because I loved Lightning now. "Doc took out the stitches!"

"Oh, that's good!" After a pause, he added, "Hey. Sorry about pushing you into that wall."

"That's okay", I replied. I mean, I didn't _think_ it was okay, but I wasn't really upset.

"No, it's not!" he insisted. "I was a jerk to a lot of people."

"Well, now, you're not", I insisted. "Now, you're nice." I hugged him. "I love you."

I can't put into words how happy I was when he hugged me back and told me, "I love you too, Fudge."

"Hey, Lightnin'!" a voice called out. It was Tex Dinoco, who I'm sure you all know I am very familiar with now. "How about comin' over here and talk to me a minute?"

"Okay, Fudge-O." Lightning put me down to my dismay. "I think Luigi wants you back now." He drove on over to Tex.

I didn't hear what was going on, but I later found out that he'd been offered the Dinoco sponsorship. However, he decided to turn it down because he wanted to be loyal to Rust-Eze, the company who had given him his big break. Even though he gave up everything he'd ever dreamed of that day, I'd never seen him so happy. Sure, I hadn't known him for very long, but I had a feeling that this was the happiest he'd been in a long time. He later told me that I was right.

I was the happiest I'd been in a long time too. Lightning stuck true to his promise and let me and Mater ride in the Dinoco helicopter (even though he turned Dinoco down, Tex was still happy to give us a ride)! That was awesome! Still, Lightning didn't stop there. The day after the race, he took us to Disneyland, which was a blast! You'd think that would be the best part, but it wasn't. The best part was that Lightning decided to make Radiator Springs his permanent home _and_ set up his big racing headquarters there! We didn't have to say goodbye to him at all! Yay!

And the rest is history.

 **Next chapter is part two. Please review.**


	5. P2: Speed I am Speed (Sort of!)

**To stay motivated writing this story, I've decided that from now on, I won't upload a chapter until I've finished the one after it. Well, today, I just finished the chapter after this one, so here is chapter one of part two! Yay!**

 **This is the events of my short story** ** _Fast as Lightning._** **Some details have changed slightly since I didn't know about this story when I wrote that one.**

 **Please read, enjoy and review! :)**

 **Part 2**

 **Chapter 1- Speed. I Am Speed (Sort of)!**

It was late at night. I was lying in bed, sobbing my heart out. Luigi and Guido tried to comfort me, but that was hard. My dreams had been crushed! It wasn't fair! How did this happen?! A couple of hours earlier, I was happy and full of dreams. Then this happened:

* * *

Don't get me wrong. Having Lightning come and move to town was the best thing I could've hoped for. Still, it brought a lot of changes and it took me a while to adjust to several things. Like how mean other kids are.

"Go away!"

"We don't want to play with you!"

"Yeah, you're ruining our game!"

"Yeah, we don't like you!"

In the first couple of weeks since our town got put back on the map, those were the kind of words I got used to hearing. My family were too busy to give me as much attention as they used to, so they often sent me off to play with some of the tourists' kids. Only, as you can see, that didn't turn out so well all the time. Very rarely, really.

Thank Chrysler Lightning came just then and gave me a hug. Otherwise, I don't know what I would've done. In the couple of weeks since his arrival in town, I'd taken to following him around like a lost puppy and in hindsight, I don't know how he put up with me.

He gave me a big hug. "Hey! It's okay! Don't cry!"

I felt a little better immediately. "They were mean to me!"

"I know", he whispered sympathetically.

"Why don't any of the other kids like me?" I wondered. I'd always had a hard time fitting in.

"It's not you fault, sweetie", Lightning assured me. "You're just different. They don't understand."

My family always told me that I was different, but I never understood _why_ I was so different. However, when I was diagnosed with autism and understood what that meant, I realised that it was nothing to be ashamed of, which is what I always tell kids in my situation.

Lightning held me for about another minute before announcing, "I'm supposed to be meeting Doc for training now. Why don't you come with me? You wanna come with me?"

I nodded, still sniffling. "Okay." That sounded fun. Lightning was super-fast and I loved watching him race, which the race car knew. It was exactly how fast _I_ wanted to go one day.

"All right." He scooped me up onto his hood and away we went.

Doc hadn't been too happy at Lightning for being late, but when he found out he'd been comforting me, he didn't mind (much). He just ordered Lightning to get to work. I sat safely out of the way and watched the two racers blaze across the track. I tried to count the number of laps they'd taken, so I knew who won and when, but it didn't take long for me to become mesmerised by what I was seeing. All I could see were two dots- one red and one blue- in the distance, going faster than anything I'd ever seen, sending up a trail of dust.

"Go, Lightning!" I hollered. "Go, Doc!"

I wondered how it would feel to go that fast. I was so sure that I would find out when I was a little bit older and could go that fast myself. However, it was when Lightning and Doc returned that everything came crashing down.

"Lightning wins!" I cried once they'd finished. "Lightning wins! Go, Lightning!"

"Yeah!"

I was really happy when Lightning picked me up and tossed me up into the air and started tickling me.

"You're really fast!" I stated the obvious to Lightning, hugging him.

"Thanks, Fudge!"

"I wish I could go as fast as you!" I jumped up and down excitedly. "That would be the funnest thing ever!"

"Yeah? You think so?"

"Yeah!" I insisted. "How did you get that fast?"

"Well, you gotta be built for this kind of speed, Fudge-O. And then it takes a lot of practise."

I was only half listening. "Maybe one day, _I_ could be that fast!"

That was when Doc came along and crushed my dreams. "I don't think so, Fudge-O."

"Why not?" I wondered. If it worked for Lightning, then why couldn't it work for me? Sure, I'd never seen a human race on their own without riding on a car, but I'd been excited to be the first.

"Because you're not a race car", Doc explained matter-of-factly. "You're a human. Humans can't go as fast as regular cars, let alone race cars. You know how you're always runnin' out of breath, keepin' up with us?"

"So..." I began and I could feel the tears bubbling up in my eyes. "I'll never be as fast as Lightning?"

Doc shook his hood.

"That's not fair!" I burst into tears. In the mind of five-year-old me, this was the worst thing I'd ever been told! It was even worse than being told my own mother didn't even _want_ me.

"No, it's not." Lightning sympathised, hugging me. "But you know, as a human, you can do cool things that I can't."

"Like what?"

I can't remember what Doc and Lightning said, but I _do_ know that it didn't make me feel any better.

"I can't do _anything_!" I wept.

"I'm sure you'll find something cool you wanna do", Lightning whispered gently. "You're only five. You've got your whole life ahead of you."

"But I'm nearly six!" Six seemed so big and grown-up to me then. Now, I look at a six-year-old and think they look like a baby.

"Yeah, well, you still got plenty of time to decide what you wanna do when you're big. Six is little to us."

I shook my head. I wanted to be a _racer_!

"Fudge! There you are!" came Luigi's voice as he and Guido approached.

Guido picked me up and gave me a hug. "(What's wrong?)"

I was crying too hard to respond.

"What happened?" Luigi quizzed Lightning and Doc.

Lightning told him.

"Is that true?!" I asked, convinced that Doc was just being mean. Maybe Doc was just mean when he was a racer. He'd never hit me until recently and now he was crushing my dreams.

"It is true", Luigi admitted with a sigh.

"That's not fair!" I cried like it was the greatest injustice of all time. "I wanna go as fast as Lightning!"

"I know, but you can do a lot of things Lightning can't", Luigi tried like Doc and Lightning did.

"Nothing that cool!" I argued, having just gone through this.

"I am sure you will find something", Luigi assured me with a kiss. "For now, we are going to have dinner at Flo's. And then you are going in the bath and to bed, okay? We can have a long talk about this tomorrow."

"Okay", I agreed reluctantly.

"Okay. Let's go."

* * *

I cried for most of the rest of the night. When we all gathered at Flo's, everyone wanted to know what was wrong, so Luigi told them. My family sympathised, but I didn't feel much better. It was really hard to eat my dinner that night.

"Fudgie, please eat your dinner", Luigi instructed me not unkindly.

"I'm not hungry!" I protested, reluctantly scraping some chicken around my plate and putting it on my fork.

"You? Not hungry?" Ramone teased me. "I don't believe it!"

"Yeah! You is always hungry!" Mater added.

I couldn't even smile.

I was really quiet in the bath, but my tears started up again when I was being put to bed.

"It's not fair! I wanna be a racer!" I reminded my fathers.

"I know, I know!" Luigi kissed me. "We will talk about it in the morning, okay?"

So, we did.

"Do you remember how we talked about how humans and cars are different?" Luigi quizzed me gently.

I nodded.

"Well, this is one of the things that is different between cars and humans. Humans can't go as fast as cars."

"Why not?"

"Because humans don't have engines, remember?"

"Yeah. I remember", I recalled dejectedly.

"Please don't get upset, Fudgie!" my father begged. "You can still enjoy racing. And maybe one day, you can have a different job with racing."

I lit up. "Yeah! I can be one of those humans who ride around the track with the race car!"

Luigi smiled. "Yes you could."

"Do you think Lightning will let me do that with him?"

"Maybe when you are older."

"Why not now?"

"Because racing is very dangerous, Fudgie!" Luigi insisted. "Remember what happened to Doc? And to The King at the race we went to."

I was only half-listening again by then. Now that I knew my first dream for myself wasn't going to happen, I had to get started on my backup plan.

"Lightning!" I shouted, running through the town, trying to find the race car. "Lightning!"

On my way around Radiator Springs, I was stopped by Doc.

"Lightnin's down at Willy's Butte", he informed me, "and he ain't leavin' till he's done every single one of the two hundred and fifty laps I asked him to do."

"I'll go there then!" I started to run off to do just that.

"No you won't!" Doc insisted, scooping me up onto his hood (I noted, sadly, that it was true; cars _were_ faster than humans). "I don't want him gettin' distracted!"

"But I _really_ need to talk to him!" I protested.

"I'm sure it can wait."

"No it can't!" I whined, jumping up and down. "It can't wait!"

Doc sighed. I think he knew, knowing what I was like, it probably _could_ wait. "What is it, kiddo?"

"I need to ask him to take me racing with him!"

Doc was silent for a long time.

Finally, he shook his hood firmly. "No. That ain't happenin', Fudge."

"What? Why not?" It seemed like Doc was just crushing my dreams one after the other.

"It's too dangerous! I don't want you gettin' hurt. Besides, you're very intelligent. I think you should be aimin' a lot higher!"

"But I _won't_ get hurt!"

"You don't know that! Racin' is dangerous and unpredictable!"

"Luigi said I could!" I protested.

"Well, Luigi _shouldn't_ have said that", Doc informed me. "You're gonna get yourself killed if you race, Fudge!"

I think he was just trying to scare me and it almost worked. Almost. "But I wanna be a racer!"

"Well, I _don't_ want you to be a racer! You are a _child_!" the Hudson Hornet insisted. Now, he was _really_ angry at me. "Not a racer!"

"You don't want me to be happy!" I accused him, pretty sure I was going red in the face and that I was going to have steam come out of my ears like a cartoon character. "You don't want me to do _anything_! I hate you!"

With those words, I kicked him in the tyre and tore off down the road, angry and hurt. I know and I knew then that I'd been rude, but I don't think Doc was being fair to me. I felt like he was destroying my life.

* * *

I tried to avoid Doc for the rest of the day. That wasn't a very hard thing to do, considering how he was busy with patients (a lot of the tourists weren't used to the desert environment) and Luigi, Guido and I ate dinner at home rather than Flo's. We still went over to Flo's for drinks and dessert, but Doc was still busy. However, when I was just climbing into bed, I heard that unmistakable voice.

"Luigi, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Of course", I heard my father reply from down the hallway. Then he called back to me, "Fudge, get into bed! I will be there in a few minutes."

I sat up in bed, trying to listen to what they were talking about. Their voices were low at first, but then I heard them gradually getting louder. It sounded like they were arguing.

"...can't believe you would be even _thinkin'_ about lettin' her do that!" I heard Doc tell Luigi.

"She wants to be a racer", Luigi responded calmly. I don't know how he could do that. I was afraid of Doc when he was angry; I think we _all_ were.

"I know she does, but it is much too dangerous! How could you consider lettin' your five-year-old daughter risk hurtin' herself like that?"

"I said when she was _older_ , she could do it!" my father protested.

"I don't care how old she is! I never want her involved with racing! Take it from me. It ain't the right way to go for Fudge."

Luigi sighed. "I know", he admitted. "I don't want her to do it either. I am just hoping that one day she will change her mind. Maybe she could do a different job with racing, not be a racer."

 _What_?! Did Luigi just _agree_ with Doc?! I couldn't _believe_ what I was hearing! I thought my family supported me in my dreams of being a racer. Obviously not, it seemed. I started crying.

"I don't think she will", Doc sighed. "Not with Lightnin' here now. Maybe we should try to keep her mind off racin' from now on. We'll give 'er other stuff to do if she starts talkin' about racin'. Like helpin' you in the tyre shop. She said she wanted to do that too."

"Good idea", Luigi agreed.

"And I know you and Guido watch races. Why don't I take care of 'er while you do that?"

"I think that would be for the best."

No! That wasn't fair! I wasn't even allowed to _watch_ races anymore?! What was Doc _doing_ to me?! I cried harder.

"What about Lightning?" Luigi wondered. "We can't keep him away from Fudge."

"No we can't", Doc agreed, "but I'm gonna have a talk with him."

"Okay", Luigi responded. He sighed. "Maybe it won't matter anyway. We still don't know if she can stay here."

Why did Luigi have to say _that_?! I was still afraid that I would be taken away from my family.

"Well, I have to put Fudge to bed", the Fiat continued. "We can talk more tomorrow."

"Yeah. Good night, Luigi."

"Good night, Doc."

I was still in tears when Luigi came into my room, so there's no way he didn't know I'd been eavesdropping. Even so, he didn't say anything. He just tucked me in, kissed me, whispering a good night and left, turning the light out on his way out.

* * *

The next day, I noticed some subtle changes around me. Nobody ever mentioned the R word around me. A couple of times, Lightning tried to ask Doc a question about their training, only to catch himself with a quick glance at me and change the subject. If I tried to talk about racing, I would receive a Look and a new subject. I was not very happy.

I think everyone noticed, but only one of them talked to me about it.

"Hey, Fudge-O", Lightning greeted me gently as I sat by the statue of Stanley to be alone (Red had gone off to water the flowers outside Casa Della Tires), clutching one of my toy race cars, fearing that it would be confiscated from me soon.

"Hey..." I murmured softly.

"What have you got there?"

I showed him, keeping it close in case he tried to take it.

"Nice", he commented sincerely.

"I'll have to get one of you", I informed him.

Lightning smiled. "Really?"

I nodded.

"You really love racing, don't you?"

I nodded. "It was so cool when you arrived. Doc never talked about when he was a racer."

"I can understand why. The way his career ended was hard on him."

"What does _career_ mean?"

Lightning explained.

We were silent for a while.

"I wanna be a racer!" I announced finally in a firm voice.

"Fudge, if you want it, you do it", Lightning instructed me. "Don't let anyone stop you."

"But Doc'll get mad."

Lightning paused, thinking about that. "Come on, Fudge. Up. I wanna show you something, but you gotta promise me you won't say a word to Doc or anyone else."

I nodded, rising to my feet. "I promise." Lightning said that a lot to me. He often let me do things like stay up later or have extra dessert as long as I kept it a secret. That was why, although I loved all of my family members equally, apart from Luigi and Guido (though I was closer to some than others), I always thought that Lightning was one of the more fun ones.

Lightning led me to his cone at the Cozy Cone Motel, which was his temporary home at the time. He got out an old book about racing.

"When I was in racing school, I would study lots of famous racers and their techniques", he explained to me. "There's someone in here I think you'd be interested in."

"Really? Who?"

Lightning showed me the page. "Louise Nash. The First Lady of Racing."

I stared at the cream and pink race car on the page in front of me, intrigued. I couldn't read all of the information, but Lightning gave me the gist: Louise Nash was a female racer back in the fifties. Apparently, people didn't want her to race and the officials even tried to stop her just because she was a woman (I thought that was stupid and I still do!). But you know what she did? She did it anyway!

"Wow!" I exclaimed excitedly, listening to Lightning tell me about Louise Nash.

"There's no reason why you can't be like that", the race car informed me. "If you want it enough."

I nodded seriously. "I do."

Letting Lightning's words sink in and studying the picture of the racer in front of me, I decided that that was what I was going to do. I was going to be a racer no matter what! I didn't care what Doc or Luigi or anybody else said. The only question was, how?

* * *

I got my answer about a week later. In that time, I never once mentioned my intentions to race anyway to anybody but Lightning, who kept it a secret from everyone else. He even started teaching me some of the very basics.

"The first thing you need to know is that racing is more than just going really fast around in circles", he began.

I nodded. "I know. You have to try not to crash too."

Lightning laughed. "Well, yeah..."

He started teaching me about things like the inside and the outside of the track and where the racer should be in certain situations. I didn't understand all of it, but I was eager to learn and wanted to make sure Lightning knew that.

After about a week, our secret meetings weren't so secret anymore. It all started when I was bored and lonely because everyone was busy again. So, I decided to join a group of kids who were about nine or ten.

"Can I play with you?" I asked them.

"No", a black Mustang GT replied.

"Why not?" I wondered.

"We don't wanna play with a baby", a purple Cadillac informed me.

"You're mean!" I yelled, chasing them and swatting the air to try to hit them.

All that did was make them laugh and dare me to hit them. I actually managed to kick one of the human girls before Lightning showed up.

"Fudge Rossi-Topolino!" he shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"They won't play with me!" I complained.

"We don't wanna play with a baby!" the Mustang insisted.

"Named _Fudge_!" the purple Cadillac added.

"So, you decided to kick this girl?" Lightning asked me.

I just shrugged. I didn't know what to say.

"All right, Fudge. Say you're sorry", he instructed.

I wasn't in the least bit sorry, but I obliged. "Sorry."

"Like you mean it."

"Sorry", I repeated quietly.

"That's better. Now, come on. Why don't you play with me?" Lightning suggested.

That sounded like a good idea to me, so I agreed.

After a while of doing nothing, Lightning announced that he was going to practise his racing, which didn't make me very happy.

Lightning sighed and looked around. "All right. If we have some fun here, do you promise never to tell anyone what we did?"

I told you Lightning said that a lot.

"What are we gonna do?" I wondered.

"Before I tell you, I want you to promise me you won't tell _anyone_. Doc told me _specifically_ that you can't do this!"

"I promise", I insisted.

"All right. You got your magnets, don't you?"

"Yep." I showed him the magnetic belt, gloves, shoulder and knee pads I had to prevent me from falling off a car's hood/roof.

"All right. Well, you'll need a helmet too."

"I have a new helmet! I just started learning how to ride a bike!"

"Great! Go and get it! And hurry!" Lightning instructed.

So, off I went. I returned a few minutes later with a white helmet.

"Good girl."

"What's going on?" I wanted to know once I was up on his roof.

"Do you wanna feel how fast a _real_ race car can go?!" he quizzed me.

Did I?! " _Really_?!"

"Yeah. But listen, Fudge, I'm being serious, _do not tell anyone_! Doc didn't want me to take you."

I nodded seriously. "I promise."

"All right... You ready?"

"Ready!" I sang.

"Do you wanna say it?" Lightning quizzed me.

Did I?! "On your marks... get set... _Go_!"

I was a little scared when he shot off. I wasn't prepared for the loud noise of his engine or the intense speed. So, I nearly fell off his roof right away. Thank God I had my magnets on. We seemed to be getting faster and faster and I think Lightning knew that I was scared.

"You okay?"

"Yeah!" I insisted.

"You sure?"

"Yeah!" I repeated.

"I can stop if you want", he offered.

"No! I don't wanna stop!" Sure, I was scared, but I was going to be a racer. I needed to do this.

"All right; just let me know if you change your mind."

"I will." Only I wouldn't change my mind.

After a while, I learned to enjoy the extreme speed.

"You having fun?" Lightning quizzed me.

"Yeah!" I repeated. Then I had an idea. "Hey, Lightning?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you go as fast as you can now please? Just for a little while." I requested.

There was a moment of silence before he replied with, "All right, but just for a little while."

That got me excited. "Yay!"

"You ready?"

"I'm ready!" I assured him excitedly, but also nervously.

Lightning gunned forward, pushing himself to the max.

"Whoa!" I shouted, taken by surprise.

"Are you all right?" my driver questioned, concerned.

"Yeah! This is really fun!" I exclaimed after taking a second to get used to it.

After a while, Lightning began to bring his speed down. "Well, we should probably stop now", he announced.

"Awww!" I let out a disheartened groan.

"But maybe another time, we can-" He stopped and gasped.

"Hey! Doc's here!" I realised, not picking up on why that was a bad thing. I waved cheerily. "Hi, Doc!"

All I received in return was a slow wave.

Lightning knew we were in trouble, though. "Doc-"

The older car just muttered something I couldn't hear (Lightning told me later it was a good thing I didn't hear what he said) and stormed off.

"Doc, wait!" Lightning put me down and tried to chase him down, calling out things like, "Doc, I'm sorry! Doc, will you just listen to me? I'm sorry I-"

By the time I caught up to Lightning, he was parked in front of Doc's garage. The doors were locked. He looked back at me and shook his hood.

"I think you better take your helmet and magnets home, Fudge", he suggested to me quietly.

I was too afraid to argue, so I just did it.

* * *

I stayed with Lightning for the rest of the day. I remember playing board games and we were quiet for a while until...

"What was Doc doing earlier?" I wanted to know. I figured one of us had to bring up what had just happened.

"What do you mean?" Lightning asked, puzzled.

"He came by while we were at Willy's Butte earlier and then he just left", I explained.

"Well, I told you he didn't want me taking you racing", the race car reminded me.

That was not what I wanted to hear. "Is he mad?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah. But listen", he rushed on. "No matter what he says, you didn't do _anything_ wrong. _I_ was the one who broke the rules, not _you_."

"Okay..." I wasn't so sure about that, considering how Doc was mad at me for constantly talking about racing.

So, I wasn't looking forward to going to Flo's that evening.

"What if Doc's mad at me?" I asked fearfully.

"It's all right", Lightning tried to comfort me. He hugged me. "I'll talk to Doc."

He gave me another hug when I started crying because I was afraid that Doc was going to hit me again.

"It's gonna be all right", Lightning whispered gently, but I just couldn't calm down.

"What if Doc hits me?!" I wailed.

"Why would Doc hit you? He loves you!"

I shook my head. "He hit me once! The night you... you left! He was mad, so he hit me!"

"Well, it's all right!" Lightning scooped me up onto his hood. "He's not going to hit you today."

I wasn't so sure.

When we showed up at Flo's, there was no doubt that Doc was still angry.

"And what do you two have to say for yourselves?!" he demanded.

I slid off Lightning and hid behind him.

"Fudgie!" I heard Luigi shout and I felt better until I realised he wasn't coming over.

"Doc", McQueen started, "I know you're mad at me and I don't blame you-"

"I would hope not!" Doc interrupted in his furious tone that I would give anything not to hear from him. "With what you did!"

Still, Lightning wasn't afraid. "-but don't get mad at Fudge! This was my fault!"

"Damn right it was!" Doc growled.

"What's going on?" the rest of my family wanted to know.

"I _told_ Lightnin' not to take Fudge out racin' and he did it anyway!"

Needless to say, Luigi wasn't happy. "You took Fudge out _racing_?!" the Fiat exclaimed, horrified.

"Just a couple of laps!" Lightning cried defensively.

"A couple of laps too many!" Doc insisted.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry!"

"Then why _did_ you do it?!" Doc demanded.

"Look, Fudge was really upset and I just wanted to cheer her up. Is that such a bad thing?"

" _Yes_! It _is_ a bad thing!" Luigi insisted. "What would we be supposed to do if something happened to her? She could have been seriously hurt!"

"I know, I know and I'm sorry", Lightning repeated. "I won't take her out again, but I _will_ say that you should've seen her face when I took her."

Luigi's expression softened slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah! She seemed to really have fun!"

"It really _was_ fun!" I voiced my opinion.

I think Luigi was trying to hide a smile, but failed. "Was it?"

"Yeah! I've never been that fast before! It was a little scary at first, but I had a _lot_ of fun!" I started jumping up and down as I told my family all about the amazing experience.

"And it's not like I just went out there with her", Lightning added, knowing that Luigi was beginning to soften. "I made sure she had her magnets and she was wearing a helmet."

My father thought for a moment. "Well, maybe it is not such a bad thing..."

I grinned. However, it was quick to disappear when...

"Of course it's a bad thing, Luigi!" Doc shouted. "You even said so yourself a minute ago! Racin' is very dangerous! Take it from me!"

"I know, but it does seem like McQueen _was_ taking care of her..."

"Well, it's only gonna take one incident for him to be unable to take care of her!" Doc argued. "What are you gonna do when somethin' happens to Fudge?"

"Doc, Doc!" Lightning jumped in. "I know you're right, but will you please just see the look on Fudge's face when I take her out?"

"Is a happy look on Fudge's face really worth risking her life over?"

"But I wanna race!" I gathered up my courage to contribute to the conversation. "Remember how I told you I wanted to be one of those human crew chiefs who ride around with the racer? Lightning started teaching me about racing!"

"He has?" Doc shot the younger race car a Look.

"Hey! She wants to be a racer! If she's gonna do it right, she's gotta learn!"

"I _told_ you I _don't want_ you to be a racer!" Doc scolded me.

"Why not?" I wondered. " _You_ did it!"

"That's different! I wasn't some reckless kid, who didn't know what they were doing..." He trailed off awkwardly. I think he realised that he _was_ some reckless kid who didn't know what they were doing.

"That's why I'm learning!" I explained.

Everyone was silent for a long time.

"Come on, Doc! This is her dream!" McQueen argued. "She's gotta start somewhere! I mean, _you_ had to start somewhere, didn't you, Doc?"

There was another long silence.

Finally, Doc turned to me. "Are you _sure_ this is what you wanna do?"

I nodded. I had never been more sure of anything in my life.

"Will you just come and watch her?" Lightning requested.

After yet another period of silence, during which I crossed my fingers, Doc sighed and shook his hood. "Boy, you could talk a snowmobile into an air conditioner", he grumbled, but a faint smile was spreading across his lips.

"Yes!" I cheered excitedly. Back then, I didn't realise that I had the chance to prove myself worthy to the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. I was just trying to prove myself worthy to Doc Hudson.

* * *

The next morning, the entire town gathered by Willy's Butte. I think everyone had fears and doubts and Lightning and I were no exception.

"I still don't know about this, hot shot", Doc proclaimed anxiously.

"She'll be fine, Doc", Lightning insisted.

"I don't know..." the Hudson Hornet repeated.

Meanwhile, I was getting suited up in my magnets and helmet. I was ready to go.

"You ready?" my driver asked me.

"Yeah!" I confirmed.

"Climb on."

So, I did.

"Luigi?" Lightning looked to my father.

Luigi had his Ferrari flag with him. He looked horrified. I'm sure he couldn't believe he agreed to this and he was about to let his daughter ride on the roof of a race car. "On your mark, get set... I can't believe it... Go!"

We were off! It was a lot more fun the second time around because I was more used to it. I loved it!

"Why isn't anybody cheering?" I wanted to know.

"What?"

"Normally, everyone cheers when you race, but nobody is." I wanted everyone to cheer for me too. After all, I was gonna be a famous racer one day. I deserved to have people cheer for me.

"Well, I think they're just a little bit worried about you, Fudge", Lightning explained. "This is the first time they've seen you do this and they don't want anything to happen to you."

"Oh. Okay."

Wek kept going for a little while longer. The other cars continued to watch fearfully.

"Faster! Faster!" I cried.

"All right! You wanna go faster?"

"Yeah!" I cheered.

"Hold on..."

My wish was Lightning's command. We went faster and faster until Doc signalled him to come back.

"How was that, kiddo?" Doc questioned me.

"That was _awesome_!" I declared.

"Yeah? You liked that?"

"Yeah! I got to go as fast as Lightning!" I announced.

"Yeah. It's great, isn't it?" The race car grinned.

I nodded. There was just one thing I had to know. "So, can I do that again?"

"I think you'll make a great human crew chief one day, Fudge-O", Doc informed me with a smile.

I didn't really understand what he meant by that, so I looked around at my family.

"He's saying yes, Fudge-O", Lightning told me, laughing gently.

I couldn't help it. I did a jump for joy. "Yay!" That was the best thing I'd heard in a long time. I was officially on my way to becoming a racer!

"Just as long as McQueen looks after you", Luigi added. "And we know he will."

"And if you're serious about this", Doc piped up seriously, "you're gonna have to listen to me, Fudge. If Fudge Rossi-Topolino's tellin' the Fabulous Hudson Hornet she wants to be a racer, then the Fabulous Hudson Hornet is gonna have to make sure Fudge Rossi-Topolino is a name that becomes famous."

 **I wanted to include Fudge getting told she's not a racer because not only does Cruz get told that in _Cars 3_ , Storm does too in _Storm Chasing_. I may have someone say it again to her when she's older. Maybe between the events of _Ride_ and _Driven to Win_.**

 **So, there's gonna be some new stuff I haven't posted before in the next chapter, so I hope you're all excited for that. The other thing that would really keep me motivated is reviews! I have a new rule for reviews: from now on, a chpt must rec a minimum of two reviews in order for me to post the next one. if not, then the story will be discontinued. So, please review!** :)


	6. P2: As Seen On TV

**Well, I've finally finished part two of this story! It seemed to take forever! Especially this chapter. Part two is pretty much just a bunch of unrelated one-shots that take place between the first movie and Doc's death. This one is about Fudge's fame beginning to rise. I was going to make two ideas from this chapter into two separate chapters, but I later turned it into one due to lack of ideas. I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

 **Chapter 2- As Seen on TV**

Time went by as it does. A couple of days before my sixth birthday, the social workers returned and guess what! They were so happy with the fact that Radiator Springs was back on the map and there were humans coming through too that I was allowed to stay! Yay!

That meant the world to me! It meant I could stay with my family and those I loved. It meant I didn't have to be transported thousands of miles to live with a bunch of strangers I knew nothing about. It meant I could spend as much time as I wanted being trained to be a racer by the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and Lightning McQueen.

Doc was true to his word. He wanted to make sure I was serious about racing and that I knew it wasn't about just going fast. Of course, as a child, that was what appealed to me. However, the more I learned about racing, the more I learned to love it. I was beginning to understand what made a race car go fast and what the role of a rider crew chief was and things like that. It turned out to be really fascinating and it didn't take long at all for me to master the basics. It also didn't take long at all for me to become obsessed. I read about racing, watched racing and _talked_ about racing as often as I could, studying racing techniques. I even got some racing posters for my birthday and started putting them up on my bedroom wall. Of course, I got posters of Lightning McQueen and the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. Other posters I got included The King, Louise Nash, River Scott and Junior Moon (I learned a lot about those last three from Doc!). Every night when I went to bed, I studied the images on the posters. I wanted my own poster. Some day, I wanted to see myself up there, looking so cool and confident, ready to race. Doc and Lightning assured me that if I kept going the way I was, it was bound to happen. I couldn't wait!

* * *

By the time the next season rolled around, I was six years old and I had learned a lot and was ready for it. Plus, I had an outfit. I was dressed in a red T-shirt with the number 95 on the front and red shorts. I looked like I belonged at Piston Cup races. There was just one thing I had to know.

"What am I gonna do in the race?"

Everyone turned to stare at me.

"Everyone has a job!" I explained. "Guido and Luigi are doing tyres, Sarge and Fillmore are doing fuel, Doc's the crew chief! What about _me_?!"

"I have an idea of what you can do!" Lightning began. He took my hand and suggested, "Why don't you be my cheerleader?"

"What's that?" I wanted to know.

"You just cheer for me as loud as you can, all right? That's a very important job, Fudge-O", Lightning added quickly. "Every racer needs support at their races."

"And you can watch us to see what we're doin'", Doc added. "That way, you can learn."

"Sound good?" Lightning quizzed me.

I beamed and nodded. It sounded fun.

"All right, everyone!" Doc ordered. "Load up!"

I bounced into the trailer, practically exploding from excitement. It was hard for me to focus on the math flash cards I was supposed to be working on (I was home-schooled and often worked in the long hours in the trailer). I couldn't wait to go to the race and start being a cheerleader. Fudge Rossi-Topolino was going to show the racing world just how much she wanted to be there.

Like it had been at the Los Angeles international Speedway, this stadium was packed and full of excitement. I was holding Guido's fork as I jumped up and down and looked all over the place.

"This is so cool!" I exclaimed. "Lightning's gonna win!"

"As long as he does what I say, he has a good shot", Doc agreed.

"I will", Lightning promised sincerely.

"Well, there's a first time for everything", Doc teased. "Now, stay here, so we can get you ready. Just ignore the press and the fans for now."

"You got it." Lightning obeyed Doc's instructions.

I watched in fascination as Guido changed his tyres and Fillmore filled him up with fuel.

"Fudge, c'mere, man!" Fillmore beckoned me over.

"Am I in trouble?" I questioned nervously. If someone wanted me, I often feared I was in trouble.

However, on this occasion, the hippie van chuckled. "'Course not, man. I wanna show you how to put the fuel in."

I made sure I paid very close attention to what he was doing. From what I could gather, it was just putting the nozzle in the fuel tank. It looked easy.

"You're all fuelled up, man!" he called to Lightning a few seconds later.

"Thanks, Fillmore!"

"You're done?" I asked Fillmore, disappointed.

"Yeah."

"When can I do it?" I wanted to know.

"Maybe another time, man."

"You're not ready to do the fuel yet, Fudge", Doc spoke up. "You just watch Sarge and Fillmore do it until I say you're ready."

"Okay", I murmured, still disappointed.

However, I brightened when Guido came over to me. "(Do you want to change the last tyre, Fudgie?)" he offered, holding out the wrench.

I lit up like a Christmas tree. "Okay!" I took the wrench and got straight to work. "Done!" I sang out.

"Thanks, Fudge-O!"

I beamed with pride.

"Well, you better get out there now!" Doc announced to our star racer.

"All right. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" I hollered as loud as I could, making Lightning smile.

* * *

All through the race I was shouting, "Go, Lightning! Go, Lightning!" all the way through. And the race after that. And the one after that too. I also continued to keep a close eye on everything that was going on in the pits, making sure I knew what the crew were doing and when. I was allowed to change the tyres before the race with my fathers supervising me (I wasn't allowed to do it _during_ the race because I wasn't very fast yet and of course, we had to get Lightning back onto the track as fast as possible). It was all so exciting for me. Even though I couldn't do his fuel just yet, I still learned a lot, which even Doc admitted to me.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo", he proclaimed as he watched me change the tyres. "You're doin' a really good job."

"Thanks!"

I was beginning to get the attention of the press too. Whenever I jumped around, cheering, or was changing his tyres, I saw the massive screens around the stadium focus on me.

" _I think this may be racing's biggest little fan!_ " I'd once heard Darrell Cartrip remark.

" _That's right, Darrell_ ", Bob Cutlass had chimed in. " _She's the youngest person we've ever_ _had working in the pits._ "

"That's me!" I'd exclaimed ecstatically, jumping up and down, waving at the cameras. "That's _me_! I'm on TV! Hi!"

My family just smiled.

* * *

This went on for a while before something very interesting happened at a race in Virginia. I had done my usual thing- changing tyres, cheering as loud as I could and watching the rest of the team like a hawk. However, what happened _after_ the race was very exciting and completely unexpected...

Lightning had won, which, as always, made me very happy, and I was eager to congratulate him. No matter the outcome of the race, I was always desperate to find him and give him a hug. The only problem is with how popular he was (and is!), the press had him totally surrounded. Even as I struggled to find him, I had to smile. It would be so cool to be that popular. I imagined it was me being surrounded like that, everyone wanting to know every last detail of my latest victory on the track.

"Lightning!" I called out, hoping he would hear me. "Lightning!"

There was no answer. I could hear him talking, though. He was telling the press, "Yeah, it was great to have another win. I think the season's going pretty well. I guess that's 'cause I got a great mentor now."

"Lightning!" I called out again, trying to push my way through the crowd.

However, that was dangerous for someone as small as me.

"Hey!" a forklift with a camera barked at me. He was also trying to shove his way through the crowd, determined to get the best possible shot of Lightning McQueen. "Get out of the way, kid!"

I received a hard shove from behind, powerful enough to knock me over. I fell to the ground and burst into tears. The only good thing about that was that it finally got Lightning's attention.

"Fudge!" he called out, sounding genuinely worried about me. "Excuse me, guys!" he added, trying to make his way to me. "Fudge!" I felt myself being picked up off the ground. "Hey, hey! What's wrong?"

"Someone pushed me over!" I wept. "They were mean!"

"Yeah, the press can be mean sometimes, can't they, Fudge-O?" he commented. "Where does it hurt, sweetie?"

"Here!" I pointed to my arm and elbow. "And here!" I gestured to my knee.

"All right, all right", Lightning repeated soothingly as he examined me. "Just a couple of scrapes; you're all right." He continued to whisper things like, "Hey, hey, it's all right, Fudge-O! You're all right. Yeah? Wanna give me a smile?"

I chose not to respond. I was still upset. Yet Lightning had ways of making me smile. He would just tickle me and it worked every single time. Pretty soon, I was giggling as my tears started to vanish.

The cameras stayed on us while all of this was going on. I guess they thought it was adorable watching Lightning McQueen take care of a little girl who was crying.

"McQueen!" Kori Turbowitz called out. "Who is this?"

"Oh, this is my little sister, Fudge Rossi-Topolino."

"Fudge?" several cars repeated in surprise. I never thought about it back then, but I guess _Fudge_ does sound a little weird if you're not used to it. Still, that's what I like to be called.

"Yeah, because she's so sweet!" Lightning explained.

"Well, she's really cute", another reporter commented.

"Yeah, I know."

"How old are you, Fudge?" I was asked.

"I'm six!" I answered proudly, holding up six fingers.

"So, Fudge, what do you make of McQueen's win?!" Kori wanted to know.

"It was really, really good!" I answered as my tears stopped altogether. "Lightning is the best race car! I love you, Lightning!" I gave him a kiss.

"Do you like coming to races?" another reporter asked me.

I nodded, jumping up and down excitedly. "Yeah! I wanna be a racer too one day! Lightning and Doc have been teaching me! They say I'll be really good at it!"

"I'm sure you will be too", the reporter assured me with a smile. "If you're being trained by Lightning McQueen and the Fabulous Hudson Hornet."

"Is this on TV?" I questioned abruptly.

Lightning nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"I'm on TV!" I cried, over the moon. "I'm on TV! That's so amazing!"

Even then and especially now, I thought that I had an embarrassing reason to get famous: falling over and crying. I'm just glad I've accomplished so much since then and nobody remembers that.

* * *

Now, _that_ wasn't even the most exciting part. That came later that night.

"Excuse me!" a voice called out as we were loading up the trailer. Well, everyone else was. _I_ was curled up on Luigi's hood, almost asleep, so I didn't pay much mind to a stylish silver car approaching us. That is, at least until I heard what he had to say.

"Peter Ixar, owner of Pizza Planet", he introduced himself, shaking wheels with all of my family members.

I think they were all surprised and confused as to what he was doing in our pits and why he was introducing himself to them. I just looked up in fascination.

"Pizza Planet?" I echoed. I was six years old at the time; I only heard what I wanted to hear. "I love pizza! We go to Pizza Planet after races sometimes!"

"Glad to hear it", Mr. Ixar assured me. He turned back to my family. "I noticed that little girl earlier and I think she's really cute."

"Thank you." Luigi smiled. "We think so too."

"The reason I wanted to talk to you is we're going to be shooting a new Pizza Planet commercial next week and we were looking for a cute kid to feature in it." He gestured to me. "That's the kid I want. Are you interested?"

"I'm gonna be on TV?!" I asked excitedly.

Mr. Ixar nodded.

"That sounds so cool!" I was definitely awake by then, jumping up and down. Being in a _commercial_?! That sounded _awesome_! Then I'd be on TV all the time. I could just be watching any show and when it went to a commercial break, I'd be there! I _loved_ the sound of that.

Everyone laughed.

"I think Fudge is interested", Doc commented.

"What about the rest of you? What do you think?"

They all turned to Guido and Luigi. After all, they were my parents, so they would have the final say. It was clear that they were thinking about it. Then they started whispering to each other. _Please please_ please _!_ I thought to myself, crossing my fingers.

"If Fudge _wants_ to do it, then it is okay with us", Luigi announced finally.

"I do!" I cried. "I _do_ want to do it!"

As Luigi, Guido and Mr. Ixar discussed the details, I wasn't listening. I ran around, yelling, "I'm gonna be on TV! I'm gonna be on _TV_!"

"Fudge, get back here!" Doc instructed me.

Lightning laughed. "I got it!" He chased after me and scooped me up onto his hood.

"No fair!" I pouted. I'd always been an energetic child and never grew out of it when I got older. Still, I was no match for Lightning McQueen, who would often have to hunt me down when I was hyper.

"It is fair", Doc informed me. "If you're gonna be a TV star, you're gonna have to do as you're told, all right, kiddo?"

"All right", I agreed.

I was so excited I thought I was going to explode. I was going to be a TV star!

* * *

So, a week later, I found myself in Los Angeles with Luigi, Guido, Doc and Lightning on the set of a new commercial.

"It looks like a real Pizza Planet!" I marvelled, skipping around the set. I had just been dressed in my costume- a light purple T-shirt with a sparkly pink heart on the front, light pink pants and pink and white Velcro shoes.

"That's the idea!" Lightning commented. He had the all-important job of keeping an eye on me and catching me if I ran off.

"This is gonna be so, so fun!" I proclaimed.

Well, that's what I _thought_. I was yet to learn what difficulties I would face on the set.

The first problem came when a tall blonde woman (I _think_ her name was Sarah, but I don't remember) tried to do my makeup. For one thing, I was way too hyper to sit still.

"Fudge, you need to calm down", Luigi, Guido, Doc, Lightning and Sarah all kept repeating to me.

The other issue was I didn't like my eye makeup being done.

"I need you to close your eyes", Sarah instructed me. I remember she had a southern drawl.

I obeyed.

"Too tight", she informed me. "You need to keep them closed lightly."

It took me a while, but I _finally_ had my eyes right, but only for about a second. As soon as Sarah touched me with the brush, I flinched and moved away.

"You're twitching, honey", she stated the obvious gently. "I need you to stay still for me."

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stay still. Even with Guido holding my head, I would flinch every time the brush touched my eyelids. Sarah was patient with me at first, but after a while, she was beginning to get annoyed.

Mr. Ixar and the director, a dark blue Mini Cooper named Neil Cooper (I've filmed several more commercials with him since then), weren't very happy either. Apparently we were running twenty minutes behind schedule because of me. I didn't mind, though. I was excited to get started. I had been practising my lines all week and I was eager to show everyone what I could do. However, there was one thing I wasn't prepared for...

"Fudge!" Neil called out to me, waving me over to him. Next to him was a brown-haired, blue-eyed woman in her late twenties to early thirties wearing glasses. She was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers. "This is Claire. She's going to be your mother in the commercial."

"My mother?" I repeated. My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I didn't know how to react!

"That's right."

I looked at this woman. "Are you my mother?"

Claire nodded. "Yep. Well, I'm your mother in the commer-"

At the time, I didn't realise how shocking it was to everyone when I kicked Claire as hard as I could (which wasn't very hard; I'm pretty weak).

" ** _FUDGE_** **!** " Luigi, Guido, Doc, Lightning, Neil and Mr. Ixar all gasped simultaneously.

"You're mean and I don't want to see you ever again! You don't love me, so I hate _you_!" I blew a raspberry before I turned on my heel and ran.

"Fudge!" Luigi exclaimed. "Get back here and say sorry right now!"

I didn't answer.

" **FUDGE!** " he shouted again.

I didn't respond or slow down, rounding the corner away from the set.

"I am so sorry!" I heard Luigi's shocked voice behind me. "I have no idea why she did that!"

I heard Doc sigh too. "Lightnin'?"

"I got it!" he responded and the sound of his engine got closer and closer.

"Go away!" I shouted after him when he caught up to me in about two seconds.

"No", he told me. "You're gonna go back and you're gonna apologise right now."

"Why?!" I demanded.

"Because you've just been very rude." Even though Lightning was more of the fun kind of babysitter, he'd always been strict with me about two things in particular: my safety and manners.

"Only because she's mean!"

"What did she do? I didn't see her do anything to you, Fudge."

"She _left_ me!" I insisted, tears filling my eyes.

Lightning was confused. "What?"

"She's my mother!" I started crying. "They said she's my mother and my mother left me!"

"Oh, you thought... Oh, Fudge, no, no, no, no! She's not really your mom."

I sniffled. "What?"

"She's just _pretending_ to be your mom. It's acting."

"Oh."

Lightning was very quick to grow sympathetic. "Look at you. C'mere." He gave me a hug.

"I'm sorry!" I wept. "I thought they were saying she _is_ my mom! And my mom doesn't want me! She just-"

"I know, I know!" I think that was the first time Lightning had ever heard me talk about my mother, although I'm ninety-nine per cent sure he already knew what the situation was before that.

"Why doesn't my mom want me?"

"I don't know, sweetie. I wasn't there, remember?"

Whenever I asked about my mom or anything to do with my adoption, I knew my family always tried to be as open about it as possible. Still, I've always had this feeling that there was something nobody was telling me. I would ask, but I'm too afraid. Like I said, they've always tried to be open with me about my adoption. If there _is_ something they're not telling me, it must be pretty big. I'm not sure if I want to know.

Lightning held me for a few more minutes before drying my eyes and helping me wash my face, which also washed away my makeup.

"Come on." He picked me up. "We better get back out there. We've still gotta film this thing."

I nodded. "Okay. So, I'm just gonna pretend she's my mom?"

"Exactly", Lightning confirmed. "But the first thing you're gonna have to do is apologise to her. And to everyone else."

"Okay... Sometimes, I wish I had a real mother."

"Sometimes?"

"Yeah. I'm happy in Radiator Springs with you guys, but there are times where I do wish I had a mom."

Lightning smiled. "You know what, Fudge?"

"What?"

"I'm happy in Radiator Springs too."

"I'm sorry!" I called out as soon as we were back on the set. "I'm sorry, everyone!" I turned to Claire. "I'm sorry, Mom!"

"Great!" Sarah groaned. "She's messed up her makeup! I'm gonna have to do it all again!"

"What the hell got into you, Fudge?!" Doc demanded.

"I'll explain later", Lightning whispered to him.

"Are you gonna behave for us this time, Fudge?" Neil quizzed me.

"Yes!" I answered sincerely. "I'm sorry!"

Neil sighed. "All right. Sarah, do her makeup again. Then let's try this _again_! I would _like_ to have this commercial done _today_!"

* * *

It took a long time to get my makeup done again, but by the time that was over, I was ready to go. I sat next to Claire on the set in a booth of an outer space themed fast food restaurant.

"I'm sorry", I repeated to her. "I've never had a mom before."

"Well, being kicked is not what moms are for", she informed me with a laugh. "Now, let's do this commercial. You have a mom for the rest of the day."

I smiled, remembering what Lightning said about pretending. "Yeah I do!"

"All right!" Neil called out, clearly at his wit's end. "Quiet on the set! Take one! And... _action_!"

* * *

"When's it gonna be on?!" I questioned impatiently.

"Soon, Fudge!" Doc replied. " _Stop askin'_! It's gonna be on."

It was about six weeks later and my commercial was going to be on TV for the very first time! I was excited, but I was also impatient. Since it was a special occasion, I was allowed to stay up past my bedtime. I wanted to keep my eyes glued to the TV, so I wouldn't miss it, but that wasn't an option. On the TV was a late night crime drama filled with blood and gore, murder, sexual violence and foul language. So, when that was on, the show would get muted and I had to turn my back to the television set.

"Make sure you turn the sound back on for the commercials!" I must've reminded my family about a hundred times.

"We _will_ , Fudge!" they kept responding. "Now, _stop_ reminding us! We _know_!"

As soon as the TV got unmuted every time, I was quick to whirl around and face the screen. I saw commercials for Leak Less, for dog food, for home loans, but not for Pizza Planet.

"When am I gonna be on TV?!" I whined. Had they forgotten to show it?

"Fudge, if you ask that one more time, I will send you to bed now", Luigi threatened. "It will be on. Just be patient."

"Nobody cares about toilet paper", I muttered, seeing the commercial on the screen.

However, everyone cares about pizza. The commercial after the toilet paper one was the Pizza Planet one.

"That's me!" I exclaimed. "That's _me_!"

"Sssh!" Luigi whispered gently. "Let's hear it then!"

" _Mom? Is there_ really _a Pizza Planet?_ " I asked Claire.

" _Yes_ ", Claire responded seriously. " _Pizza Planet is home to the most delicious pizza in the_ _universe!_ "

" _And they fly over to Pizza Planet in a rocket to get all the yummy pizza!_ " I cried, acting it out with a toy rocket in my hand. I weaved the rocket around cups and silver foil balls. " _Past_ _planets and moons and asteroids, travelling galaxies!_ "

" _That's right!_ " Claire confirmed. " _And they've recently made a new discovery over on Pizza_ _Planet!_ "

I was interested. " _What new discovery?_ "

" _Stuffed crust!_ " Claire held up a slice of pizza for me to see the cheese-filled crust.

" _Yum! Stuffed crust!_ " I took a slice and began to eat it. (By the way, the only trouble I had on set after kicking Claire was that I refused to spit the pizza out at the end of the commercial. I swallowed it before anybody could make me spit it out, annoying everyone.)

" _Try our new stuffed crust for just two dollars extra!_ " a voiceover chimed in.

" _For the best pizza in the universe_ ", Claire and I recited in unison, " _blast into Pizza Planet!_ "

The screen changed into a Dinoco commercial, but nobody was interested in the TV anymore.

"Way to go, Fudge!"

"That was really good, honey!"

"Hey! Isn't that the girl from the Pizza Planet commercial?!"

I beamed with pride. I loved acting and doing commercials or other TV work. It was fun and exciting, but I still wasn't deterred. A career in racing was the career for me.

 **Since _Cars_ and _Toy Story_ are both Pixar movies and Pixar is famous for their Easter Eggs, I kind of felt like I had to make the pizza company called Pizza Planet! As for Peter Ixar? I got lazy and couldn't think of a good name! XD And you may recognise part of this chapter as a flashback in _Driven to Win_.**

 **There are still two chapters to go for part two, but since I've finished that part, I'm gonna take a break from writing this story to get something done for _Tales From Radiator Springs_. In the meantime, please review. Remember my rule about two reviews?**


	7. P2: Just Like Lightning

**Hi, guys! Here's the next chapter! Well, I think you know _that_. So, why don't I tell you what you _d_ _on't_ know? This chapter combines two ideas I've had for a while and I've decided to include them as part of this story in the one chapter. I started the chapter when Lightning McQueen wins his first Piston Cup and you may notice that I borrowed some of the dialogue from _Struck by Lightning_. Enjoy and please don't forget to leave a review!**

 **Chapter 3- Just Like Lightning**

"Go, Lightning!" I hollered, bouncing up and down. I was so excited and nervous. "Go, go, go! Faster! Faster!"

I could hear Lightning chuckling through the headset. " _I'm going, Fudge!_ "

"Remember the plan?" Doc quizzed him.

Lightning did know. I knew too. Lightning was supposed to stick in the middle of the pack for the time being. Then he was going to start making his way through the pack when Doc said so.

I always got excited and nervous watching Lightning race, but today, I was more excited and nervous than usual. Why? Because today was the day of the Piston Cup championship. If Lightning won this race, he would win the Piston Cup! Sure, I was proud of him for giving up the Piston Cup the year before, but still, I was hoping to see him win his first one that day.

When we finally got to the eightieth lap of the race, Doc radioed Lightning.

"All right, kid", he began, "we're exactly where we want to be. Remember, we plan our work and work our plan. Time for Lightning to strike."

" _I'm ready, Doc_ ", Lightning responded.

"Go, Lightning!" I cried again.

Lightning knew what to do. He started increasing his speed and squeezing through gaps between the racers. I watched with admiration, making careful note of everything Lightning was doing as well as everything Doc and everyone else was doing. All through the season, I'd been eager to learn as much as I can. I had recently celebrated my seventh birthday by this point and I was happy and proud when Doc told me that I had more racing knowledge than any other seven-year-old he'd ever met. Of course, no matter how busy things got in the pits and how eager I was to learn, I always made time to stop and stare at the race cars whizzing past, dreaming of the day I would be riding on one of them in a real race.

"Don't force it", Doc reminded Lightning. "Lap by lap, keep climbing through them. Feel the openings before they happen."

I continued to watch, fascinated as Lightning kept climbing through the racers, listening to Doc repeat things like, "You're doing good, kid. There's another gap- yep, you got it. Keep squeezing through." It was so amazing! If you've ever seen Lightning McQueen race, then you'll know how incredible it is to watch. I just kept staring at him with bated breath, occasionally letting out a, "Go, Lightning!"

Before long, there were only thirty-five laps to go.

"All right. Time for one last pit stop", Doc announced.

"Got it!" Lightning confirmed, coming in for the pit stop.

I made sure we had all of the tyres and fuel we needed (of course we did, but I always tried to find ways to make myself useful). Lightning came in and Guido got straight to work on the tyres while Fillmore loaded him up with fuel.

"You're in the zone now", Fillmore commented.

"Just so you know", Doc chimed in with a proud smile, "that was our best time ever for a pit stop."

"Yay!" I cheered proudly with a big jump. For two weeks before the start of the season, Doc had put the crew through intensive drills in order to improve their communication and pit stop times. I hadn't been there for it (probably because Doc thought I would be in the way) and felt left out at first, but the others had told me such horror stories about those two weeks, which made me glad I wasn't there.

The last thirty-five laps went by so fast. I guess that's because the racers are so fast.

"Last lap!" I cried, full of excitement as the white flag was waved. By then, the sky was dark and it was way past my usual bedtime, but I wasn't even a little bit tired.

"This is it, kiddo", Doc radioed to Lightning. "It's all come down to this and-"

" **GO, LIGHTNING!** " I exclaimed once again.

Everyone laughed.

"That", Doc chuckled.

"Well, I can do that!" Lightning grinned and gunned it, making his way past the very few racers he had to go.

Four turns left, weaving past the other cars. Lightning was moving at two hundred miles an hour, yet at the same time, he looked like he was moving in slow motion. Later, he told me he felt the same way. Still, it didn't feel like long at all before the checkered flag was out and Lightning was in the lead. It was only a matter of seconds before he was shooting across the finish line. He won by three car lengths!

" **YAY, LIGHTNING!** " I screamed, jumping up and down.

Fireworks showered over the stadium as the crowd chanted, "Lightning, Lightning, Lightning!" I was one of the loudest ones.

I made sure I was one of the first people to reach Lightning when he came back into the pits, so I could give him a big hug without the press getting in my way. Luckily, I was able to do just that.

"Congratulations, Lightning!"

He returned the hug. "Thanks, Fudge-O!"

"I love you!"

"I love you too, Fudge!" He kissed me and scooped me up onto his hood.

"That was so cool!" I continued. "You just won your first Piston Cup! I can't wait to win _my_ first Piston Cup!"

Lightning beamed. "You have, Fudge."

"What?" I was confused.

"We're a team", he explained, gesturing to the others still in the pits. "All of us. _I_ didn't win _my_ first Piston Cup. _We_ won _our_ first Piston Cup."

I couldn't help smiling.

That was when the press showed up.

"McQueen! Over here!"

"How does it feel to win your first Piston Cup?!"

"Do you believe your success is due to working with the Fabulous Hudson Hornet?!"

"Show us the bolt, McQueen!"

"Fudgie!" I heard Luigi's voice as the little Fiat made his way through the crowd. "Come here, please." He took me off Lightning's hood and placed me on his own.

"But I want Lightning!" I protested.

"We will see him later. We need to go back to the pits."

Reluctantly, I let Luigi take me away. Still, I watched as the press surrounded Lightning and the two rookies he'd taken under his wing for the season, Bobby Swift and Brick Yardley, came forward to congratulate him.

Luckily, though, my father was right. We _did_ see him later. He insisted that we were all present in victory lane (I was probably the loudest one there, much to everyone's amusement). I stared in amazement at the glorious golden trophy. I wanted one of my own so bad! After that, we went to a massive party. Of course, Lightning was the centre of attention, but I still got a minute alone with him.

"I love you!" I repeated.

Lightning smiled. "I love you too, Fudge!"

"That race was awesome!" I continued. "You were so good! And you _won_!" I stated the obvious.

"Yeah, I did."

"I wanna win a race too!" I cried, jumping up and down, growing more and more excited by the mere thought of it.

"I'm sure you will, Fudge. You're a great racer!" He gave me a kiss. "Just wait till you're a little bit older."

"I wanna be just like you when I'm older!" I declared.

Lightning laughed, but he was whisked away by another racer before he could say anything.

* * *

I fell asleep in Guido's arms before the party ended, so I woke up in the trailer the following morning. As soon as I did, I was a bundle of energy.

"I gotta practise my racing!" I insisted. "I need to be ready, so I can start racing and win _my_ first Piston Cup!"

"We can't do that today", Lightning informed me.

"Why not?" I wondered.

"Have you forgotten where we're going today?"

I couldn't believe it! I _had_ forgotten! Whenever we were in Los Angeles for a race, we would always go to Disneyland the day after the race. It became something of a tradition after a couple of years.

"Oh, right", I recalled.

"Hey! We can still enjoy the thrill of speed there", Lightning reminded me.

"Yeah!" I cheered. "Let's go on Space Mountain first!"

Lightning chuckled. "Okay!"

"As long as I don't have to go", Doc informed me with a smile. "I think I'm too old for Space Mountain."

"Let's go!" I cried.

"Okay, but you need to get dressed first, Fudgie", Luigi pointed out.

"Okay."

My family left, so I could get dressed. I smiled, knowing exactly what I wanted to wear that day. I pulled on the 95 T-shirt I wore the day before along with a pair of shorts and sneakers.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

Everyone stared at me.

"You can't wear that T-shirt, Fudge", Luigi informed me.

"Why not?"

"You have ketchup and mustard all over it." He pointed to the stains. "Look. Go and change it please. Or we won't be going to Disneyland."

"But I want to wear it!" I protested.

"Well, maybe you should start by bein' more careful when you eat hot dogs", Doc suggested with a laugh.

I pouted.

"Fudge." Luigi raised an eye frame at me and looked back at the trailer to tell me to go back and put a clean shirt on.

Reluctantly, I went. I was annoyed at Luigi because I really wanted to wear that T-shirt. Then I brightened. I remembered I had another identical shirt. I was quick to get going, so I threw that on and came back out.

"Okay, let's go!" I cried.

Everyone laughed when I'd put on the same shirt, but chose not to say anything else except for, "Come on. We better get going if we want to make it to Disneyland."

* * *

We had a wonderful time at Disneyland that day, but that's not really what this part of the story is about. When we returned to Radiator Springs, Doc was eager for Lightning to start with his training as soon as possible.

"Just because the season's just ended, that doesn't mean it's too early to prepare for the next one", Doc would always insist.

I joined them for training, so I could see what was going on and continue to learn. I would always beg and plead to go for a couple of laps too, but more often than not, Doc wouldn't go for it.

"Not now", he'd always respond. "I need Lightnin' to focus. Maybe after training."

The only problem with that was Doc's training was so intense that Lightning was quite often exhausted by the end of it. So, he was quite eager to go home and relax.

Anyway, on this occasion, Doc let me come for a couple of laps, much to my delight. I cheered with glee and practically jumped onto Lightning's roof.

Doc and Lightning laughed.

"I think that's the biggest jump I've ever seen you do, Fudge", the former commented.

"Thanks!" I beamed. "Lightning can do pretty big jumps too! Remember when you did that really big jump over that hill?"

"Jump?" Lightning echoed. "I didn't jump! I _flew_!"

I giggled. "Cars can't fly!"

"Well, this one can!"

"Really?!" I, a naïve, gullible seven-year-old, asked with wide eyes.

"He's just messin' with you, Fudge", Doc informed me. "Now, come on. We got plenty of work to do."

I closed my eyes, eager to get into the zone. "Quicker than quick. Faster than fast. I am speed. Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beemer!"

Again, the two cars around me laughed.

"You sound just like me, Fudge-O!" Lightning stated the obvious.

"You even _look_ like him too now!" Doc added.

That was true. I started wearing my race day stuff more often ever since Lightning had won the Piston Cup. It drove Luigi crazy because he would always want me to take it off, so he could wash it, but a lot of the time, I wouldn't let him.

"Come _on_!" I whined. "Let's race!"

They laughed some more.

"Now, she's really starting to sound like you!" Doc stated. "I guess we better start racin' before she freaks me out any more!"

So, we went! I laughed as I called out tips to Lightning. He smiled and thanked me. I lost count of how many laps we did before the two racers came to a stop. Lightning was just ahead of Doc.

"Yeah!" I hollered. "Ka-chow!"

That prompted _more_ laughter.

"Too late", Doc declared. "She's freaking me out! So, what do you say, Lightnin' McQueen and Lightnin' McQueen? You two ready to head to Flo's for dinner?"

"I am!" the real Lightning answered.

"Me too!" I chimed in.

* * *

I started taking my copycat behaviour a little too far when we got to Flo's. I was served my dinner along with everyone else, but I was annoyed that Flo had put corn on my plate! She _knows_ I don't like corn! (I don't like things that are naturally sweet like fruit or any sweet vegetables like corn or pumpkin or sweet potato; although, I _do_ like most other vegetables.) I was planning on leaving the corn behind and just eating the meat loaf, broccoli, peas and mashed potatoes. However, just as I was about to get started on my meat loaf, I noticed Lightning eating _his_ corn. As much as I hated corn, if that was what Piston Cup champions ate, then that was what I had to eat. I shovelled the corn into my mouth as fast as I could, so the taste wouldn't sit in my mouth for as long.

"Slow down, Fudge!" Doc called to me.

"I can't!" I replied. "I need to eat all of my corn quickly."

"Why?" Luigi wondered.

"Because I don't like corn!"

"Honey, I've told you you can just leave what you don't like", Flo reminded me.

"Yeah, but Lightning was eating _his_!" I explained. "I need to be like him if I wanna be a racer!"

Everyone turned to stare at the young race car, who looked kind of uncomfortable with them all doing that.

"Is that why you keep wearing your race clothes?" Luigi asked me.

I nodded.

"It's just a phase", Doc informed Luigi. My family used to say that about me a lot when I was little, but I never knew what it meant. According to adults, kids are always going through phases.

Luigi nodded and he and everyone else returned to their dinner and conversations without another word about me.

* * *

I continued to copy Lightning as much as I could for the next couple of weeks. I wore my racing T-shirt as often as Luigi would let me. Whenever I was allowed to go racing, I would repeat Lightning's whole "Speed. I am speed" thing. Plus, whenever we beat Doc during one of our training sessions, or beat a record or I got told I'd done a good job, I'd have to yell, " **KA-CHOW!** " as loud as I could.

Plus, I still copied him _off_ the track. I would eat whatever he ate when we were all having dinner at Flo's and I wanted to do everything like him and _with_ him, of course.

"What are you watching?" I questioned one night when I stayed over with him. He and Sally had bathed me and put me to bed a couple of hours earlier, but I couldn't sleep. So, I got up and found him parked in front of the TV.

"You're supposed to be asleep, missy", Lightning reminded me.

"I can't sleep!" I explained before I repeated, "What are you watching?"

"Something you're too young to be watching." He scooped me up onto his hood. "Come on. Back to bed."

"But I wanna stay up and watch TV with you!" I protested.

"Sorry, but Luigi said you needed to be in bed by nine. It's nearly eleven-thirty."

"I'm not tired!" I insisted as I was deposited in the bed.

"Do you want a story?" he asked me.

"Racing story, racing story!" I requested eagerly. I loved when Lightning told me stories about some of his races.

"Okay!" Lightning chuckled. "Did I ever tell you about the Dinoco 400? The race before I came to Radiator Springs?"

"That was the first three-way tie in Piston Cup history!" I exclaimed. That was the only thing I really knew about that race.

"Exactly! Do you know how that happened?"

I shook my head.

"Well, then I think you're gonna love this!"

After the story and a good night kiss, I was very quick to fall asleep, waking up in the morning when I heard my fathers and Lightning talking.

"I'm sure Doc's right", Lightning informed Luigi. "It's probably just a phase."

"Yes I know what Doc said", Luigi responded, "but you know how much Fudge loves racing. I am worried this is not just a phase... Does it bother _you_? She is copying _you_."

"Well", Lightning began with a little laugh, "I guess I'm used to kids wanting to be like me. Then again, I _know_ Fudge, so I've never had to deal with it this much." He paused. "I think it's cute, but I guess it can get a little annoying sometimes."

Luigi hummed in thought. "That's what I thought."

Even if Lightning was annoyed and Luigi was concerned, it didn't stop them from using my copycat behaviour to their advantage.

"Fudge!" Luigi called out one evening at Flo's when conversation hit a lull.

Straight away, I knew what he wanted.

"No no no no no!" I cried.

"Yes, it is bedtime!" he confirmed.

"Just five more minutes!" I pleaded.

"That is what you said last night", he reminded me. "And what happened?"

I may or may not have stayed up for _forty_ -five minutes instead of five.

"I'll be good, I _promise_!"

Luigi shook his hood. "You have said that before."

" _Please_!" I begged.

Luigi looked over at Lightning.

"Gosh!" he exclaimed suddenly. "I'm really tired!"

I was surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's been a long day. I've done a lot of training. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna brush my teeth and go to sleep."

I hesitated. I knew what they were doing, but still I had to be just like Lightning.

"Fudge?" Luigi repeated as Guido held out his lift.

I wasn't happy about it, but I held Guido's lift and let him lead me back home where I changed into my pyjamas, brushed my teeth and went to bed. I lay there for a while, angry that my family had done that. I wondered if Lightning really was tired. Probably not, I think now.

* * *

As worried and annoyed as they were, my family put up with it for a little while, but when the new Piston Cup season started, something happened, which made my family decide that I had to stop.

" **KA-CHOW!** " I yelled as Lightning zipped across the finish line.

"Good job, kid!"

" _Thanks, guys!_ " Lightning responded as the others chimed in with similar comments.

As usual, I had to run to give him a hug. On my way, I ran into Chick Hicks. Literally. Immediately, I became nervous; Chick had never spoken to me specifically, but I'd heard the way he'd spoken to others and seen how aggressive he was on the track. My entire family had warned me to stay away from him.

"Watch where you're goin', kid!"

"I'm sorry!" I apologised. "It was an accident!"

"I don't care! You need to show more respect! Do you know who I am?"

"Chick Hicks", I answered, making a face.

"Exactly! I'm the Piston Cup champion!"

" _Lightning McQueen_ is the Piston Cup champion!"

"I can and _have_ beaten McQueen in a race!"

"But he beat you too!" I pointed out. "He's way better than you!"

Chick's eyes flashed with anger. "What did you say?!" he demanded.

I was beginning to get more afraid.

So, I was relieved when I heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey! What's going on?!"

"Lightning!" I cried, jumping up onto his hood.

"Hey, McLoser!" Chick greeted him.

"You can't call him a loser if he won the race!" I argued.

"Shut up!" Chick ordered. "No one asked for your opinion!"

"Hey!" Lightning glared at him hard. "Don't you ever tell my sister to shut up!"

"Your _sister_?" Chick repeated, laughing. "She's adopted, right? I'm not surprised! No one in their right mind would want _her_!"

Lightning gasped. I understood what Chick had said too and was seriously hurt. As you know from other stuff I've talked about, my adoption was, is and always will be a very sensitive topic with me. And to have someone bring it up like that! I burst into tears.

"It's okay, Fudge!" Lightning assured me gently. "Don't listen to him. Chick doesn't know what he's talking about. As usual."

I glared at the mean green racer. "You're _mean_!"

Lightning put me down and also glared at Chick, rolling closer to him. "You'd better come up with a damn good apology right now!"

All the 86 car did in response was laughed. "Or _what_?! You don't scare me, Mc-"

He never finished his sentence because Lightning swung his tyre to make direct contact with Chick's grille! I watched with wide eyes. I wasn't expecting _that_!

Neither was the press. Neither was Doc. They just so happened to show up at the exact moment Lightning punched Chick. Talk about bad timing.

I think Chick was just as shocked, but was quick to recover, throwing a punch of his own. I gasped as I watched Lightning stumble backwards from the force of the punch. He, too, recovered fast and struck Chick across the grille again. Chick responded by ramming Lightning hard. He rammed him once. Twice. A third time. I was horrified. My brother appeared to be in pain. I started crying even harder.

Thank God people began to intervene at that point. Chick's crew chief pulled his driver away while Doc and Sarge did the same to Lightning.

"Are you okay?!" I called out to Lightning.

"What were you thinkin'?!" Doc demanded angrily before he could answer.

"He started it!" Lightning insisted.

"Chick was being mean to me!" I piped up.

"Thank you, Fudge!" Doc replied in a tone that told me to stay out of it.

"She's right, Doc! Chick made her cry! I wasn't about to let him get away with that!"

The next few minutes were chaotic. I kept crying, very confused and very afraid. I can't really remember what happened next with all the chaos and confusion. All I know is that the press were eating up what had just happened, Luigi came over to comfort me and the race officials showed up.

"They want to talk to you", Luigi announced, looking at me.

"Why?" I wondered fearfully.

"They just want to know what happened", my father explained to me. After a pause, he added, "Now, Fudgie, McQueen may get into trouble, but don't worry about that. You just tell the truth, okay?"

"Okay... Where did Lightning go?"

"He and Chick had to go and see the medics. Then they will need to see the officials too."

I nodded worriedly. "Okay..." I tried to get one last look at Lightning before I was taken off to see the officials, but I couldn't see him.

* * *

I did what Luigi said. I told the officials the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Yes, Lightning _did_ punch Chick, but only because Chick was being mean to me. Then they started punching each other before Chick rammed into Lightning. After my questioning was over (and I was relieved when they told me I'd done nothing wrong), I went back to the trailer to try to get some sleep.

"Will Lightning be okay?" I questioned as I was getting into bed.

"I am sure he will be fine", Luigi assured me. "Now, go to sleep."

"But I can't sleep until I know how Lightning is!"

Luigi sighed. "Okay. You go to sleep and I promise as soon as Lightning comes back, I will wake you up, okay?"

That sounded good to me, so I nodded. "Okay."

"Okay." Luigi kissed me. "Now, go to sleep."

"I love you, Luigi!"

"I love you too, Fudge."

* * *

"Fudge! Hey, Fudge-O, wake up! I'm back!"

I opened my eyes to find Lightning parked by my bedside.

I smiled. "Hi..."

"How you doin'? Luigi said you were worried about me."

"I'm okay... Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just had a couple of scratches and dents that needed fixing. It wasn't nearly as painful as the lecture I got from Doc about 'doing the wrong thing with the right intentions.'"

I couldn't help giggling.

A pause followed.

"Fudge, we need to talk."

"About what?"

"You've been copying me a lot lately-" Lightning began.

"But I just-"

Now, _he_ cut _me_ off. "I know. Just let me finish." He sighed. "The thing is, I don't want you to be just like me."

"Why not?" I was hurt again. Was I really annoying Lightning?

"Because... I want you to be just like _you_. Fudge, I think you're such an awesome person and I don't want you to act like anybody but yourself. Especially not me. I've been suspended for the next two races because of what I did."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I don't want you copying what I did today. Chick just made me very angry, all right?"

I nodded. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

"No problem. Listen, Fudge, you just worry about being yourself and the best person you can be. There's only one Fudge and I love her."

I smiled. What Lightning was saying made sense. There was just one thing I had to know.

"If I keep being myself, will I still be a Piston Cup champion one day?"

Lightning smiled. "I guarantee it!"

I smiled too. "I love you!"

"I love you too, Fudge!"

 **I guess this chapter was kind of cliché, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. And please review! By the way, does anybody have any particular requests for this story? If this is Fudge's racing journey, I'm just wondering if there's anything any of you really want to see.**


	8. P2: My Time to Shine

**So, here we are, at the fourth and final chapter of part two. I know the parts seem really short at the moment, but the next one is _eight_ chapters long rather than the usual four. So, I hope you're looking forward to that. For now, though, what do you say we finish part two off?**

 **Chapter 4- My Time to Shine**

"Like this?" I asked Doc, moving back, so he could see the work I'd done on Lightning's oil lines.

Doc checked. "Almost", he informed me. "Like this." He adjusted the slightest thing.

I groaned. "I'm never gonna get it right!"

"Don't talk like that!" Doc replied, sounding a little bit annoyed (I think I know why; I've always had the tendency to beat myself up over the littlest things). "This is the best job I've seen from a nine-year-old. Heck, some of my classmates in medical school couldn't do as well as you have!"

I gave a small smile. "Really?" I remember being flattered at the time, but now, I'm pretty sure he was exaggerating.

Doc smiled and nodded. "You just need a little more practise."

I nodded, my spirits returning. "Okay!"

"Now, why don't we head on over to the track and have a quick training session before dinner?"

I lit up. "Okay!" I was always willing to do a training session.

As you may have noticed, it was a couple of years later. Lightning had won his second Piston Cup and was well on track to get a third. I was proud of him, but I didn't go back to copying everything he said and did.

The older I got, the more I got to do in the pits. Now that I was nine years old, I was able to change the tyres before the race and I helped Doc assess whether Lightning was ready for the race. We'd make sure he had new tyres, he was loaded with fuel and check his engine and oil. Doc would ask me if I thought Lightning was ready to race, based on all of that (of course Doc would have the final say, but he would ask me first to see what I thought). I would announce whether he was ready or if we'd forgotten anything. I think I probably had about a ninety-eight per cent success rate.

I was still going strong with racing with Lightning too. I loved every minute of it, but Doc was very strict about making sure I didn't just sit back and enjoy the ride. He would watch me closely and listen to what I was telling Lightning.

"Your job is to be an extra set of eyes for me out on the track", Doc had explained to me on several occasions. "I'll be able to see the track, but I can't be _on_ the track or see things from Lightnin's point of view. That's where you come in, Fudge."

So, every time I got up on Lightning's roof and he started racing, I would keep Doc updated on everything we could see. Sometimes, like this time, I went a little overboard, which amused both Doc and Lightning.

"Why don't you just let me know about the important stuff, Fudge?" Doc suggested with a chuckle.

"How do I know if something's important?" I questioned.

"Let me put it like this: If it ain't gonna affect Lightnin's racin', then it ain't important."

"Like the cacti!" I exclaimed as Lightning came out of a turn too hard.

The stock car screamed as he skidded straight into a cactus! I slid over on his roof as much as I could to prevent being hit. It didn't work, though. Not only did I feel the spines from the cactus enter my arm, but I was jerked back the other way. I rolled straight off Lightning's roof, landing a little awkwardly on my foot. I was lying in the dirt very sore and prickly.

"Fudge!" Doc came hurrying over. "Are you okay?!" He turned to Lightning, shaking his hood. "You really need to work on your throttle." Then he looked back to me and repeated, "You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah!" I assured him. "Hurts a little, though."

"Where does it hurt?"

"My arm and my ankle."

"Yeah, you got some spines in your arm. We'll have to get those out. Now, let me take a look at your ankle. Which ankle is it?"

"My right one."

"Your right one? All right..."

"Owww!" I cried, wincing. "It hurts! I think it might be broken!"

"Your ankle ain't broken, Fudge", Doc informed me calmly. "Although I do think we should get you back to the clinic, so I can have a proper look at it. Come on." He tried to nudge me onto my feet.

" _Owww_!" I whimpered again as I tried to stand.

"Don't put too much weight on it", he instructed me, scooping me up onto his hood.

"Oh, I'm fine, by the way!" Lightning called out.

Doc gave him a Look.

* * *

" ** _OWWWW_** **!** " I howled as Doc started pulling the spines out of my arm.

"I know it hurts", the Hudson Hornet assured me, "but you gotta stay still for me, kiddo."

"Okay..." I winced again, but I didn't cry.

However, there was one thing I was worried about: I was afraid that Doc was going to forbid me from racing after that. He had always been afraid of me getting hurt while I was racing and now I had.

"All right. One more..." my doctor announced finally.

"Ow!" I gave one last yelp.

"All right. Now, let's get a look at your ankle..."

"Ow, ow, _owww_!" I shouted again a few minutes later. "Are you _sure_ it's not broken?"

"I'm sure", Doc insisted as he bandaged my ankle. "It's just a mild sprain."

It wasn't often I could doubt Doc when it came to my health. After all, he was a _doctor_ , but I was so sure my ankle was broken. Still, I could tell he thought I was being a pest, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Are you mad at me, Doc?" I asked when he was done.

"No. Why?"

"Because I know you didn't want me racing. You said it was dangerous."

"Well, it _is_ dangerous", Doc responded, "but you're listenin' to everythin' I tell you to do. There's always gonna be a risk with racin', but listenin' and doin' the right thing reduces the risk."

"But I didn't think you'd want me to take risks."

Doc gave a chuckle and ruffled my hair. "Sometimes, Fudge, you gotta take risks. You'll never accomplish anythin' if you don't. I just want you to know the difference between a risk you should take and a risk you shouldn't take."

"How will I know?" I wondered.

Doc smiled. "You'll know."

Now, I smile whenever I think about that moment. That is advice that has stuck with me for the rest of my life.

"Well, I guess we better get over to Flo's and get our dinner, kiddo", Doc announced.

So, we did. By then, everyone had heard about my little accident.

"Are you okay?!" they must have asked me at least seventeen times each.

"Yes, I'm fine", I assured them all. "It doesn't really hurt now."

"Are you sure?" Luigi questioned nervously.

" _Yes_ ", I replied, beginning to get annoyed.

"(Well, we are never going to stop worrying about our little angel)", Guido commented, following his statement with a sneeze.

"Bless you."

" _Grazie_." Then he sneezed again and again.

"Are _you_ okay?" I wondered.

" _Si_." Another sneeze came from the forklift.

"Are you sure?"

"(Yes, Fudge. I told you I was fine.)"

"(But I have to tell you all, like, a million times that I'm fine. I'm not gonna stop worrying about you either)", I pointed out.

Guido had to smile. "(I suppose that is true.)"

* * *

Later that night, I was lying in bed, unable to sleep with the pain in my ankle and my arm. I wasn't in a _lot_ of pain, but it was enough to keep me awake. From across the hall, I could hear loud sneezing every few seconds. Even worse came a few seconds later when I heard what sounded suspiciously like someone throwing up. Concerned and disgusted, I slid out of bed and down the hall to the bathroom, limping all the way.

"Guido?" I called worriedly. I knew it was him because I could hear Luigi snoring (he's very loud!).

"(What is it, Fudgie?)"

"(Are you okay?)"

"(Yes, I am fi-)" he began, only to stop to throw up.

I cringed. If there was one thing I can't stand, it's vomit. Guido knows that, so I think that's why he suggested I went back to bed.

"(I will feel better in the morning)", he assured me.

"Okay..."

So, I went.

* * *

But Guido didn't feel better in the morning. Not only that, but half the town seemed to come down with whatever he had. Guido, Ramone, Flo, Fillmore, Red, Sally and Mater all kept coughing, sneezing and vomiting. I was one of the lucky ones not to catch it, but still, it looked awful to see them all like that. That wasn't the only problem either.

"I've got a race coming up in two days!" Lightning exclaimed as us healthy ones gathered around Flo's, the sick ones having been sent home to rest. "What am I gonna do?"

"You can still go, right?" I questioned. "You're not sick."

"Yeah, but half my pit crew is", he reminded me. "My best tyre changer and my fuel expert are sick!"

"Oh. Right."

"Well, if you're well enough, then I don't see any reason why you shouldn't go", Doc voiced his opinion. "You, Sarge, Luigi and Fudge are just gonna have to do the best you can with just the four of you."

"Wait!" Lightning exclaimed. " _You're_ not coming?"

Doc shook his hood. "I can't with all these sick cars in my town. I'm their doctor."

"But Doc, I need you!"

"Well, if you can't go without me, then don't go."

Lightning opened his mouth to protest. Then he stopped.

"I'll think about it", he decided finally.

* * *

I don't think Lightning was ready to go to a race without Doc, but being Lightning McQueen, he couldn't stand the idea of _not_ racing. So, we found ourselves at the race.

"Wow! It's really weird without everyone else", I commented, looking around at the empty pits. There were only four of us there; three once Lightning was out on the track.

"Yeah, it is", Lightning agreed. "Now, Fudge, I'm _really_ gonna need you to help Sarge and Luigi out today."

I nodded seriously. "I will."

"And I'm gonna need you to do everything Doc does. Make sure I'm ready for the race and..." He handed me a headset. "...and be my crew chief."

I was not expecting that. " _What_?!"

"Come on. I'm gonna need a crew chief and you'll be fine. You've been helping Doc at every race for three years now. I think you know what you're doing. You know all the stuff."

"I can't do this!" I cried nervously. "I can't!"

"Yes you can, Fudge-O! I _know_ you can!"

I shook my head. There was no way I could do this, but Lightning was insisting, so reluctantly and with a shaking hand, I took the headset and put it over my head.

"Okay..." Uncertainly, I got to work, checking Lightning's oil lines.

"Okay. So, you'll be up there", Lightning explained, gesturing up to the crew chief platform, "but when I come into the pits, you come down and help Sarge and Luigi."

"Got it!" Although I wasn't sure that I did. Still, I finished assessing Lightning and climbed up onto the crew chief stand...

...Only to attract everyone's attention immediately.

" _I have_ never _seen this before, Darrell!_ " Bob Cutlass announced. " _Lightning McQueen has_ _yet another new crew chief for this race and I gotta say, I think she's a little young to be a_ _crew chief._ "

" _That's right, Bob_ ", Darrell agreed. " _This is quite unconventional to say the least._ "

By then, all of the cameras were on me. I noticed myself up on the big screens. Normally, I'd be excited to see myself up there, but on this occasion, I was just embarrassed. It was made even worse when the press came up and surrounded me.

"How old are you?" one of them asked.

"Nine", I answered.

"Does Lightning McQueen know you're up there?" another questioned. "Does he want you to be his crew chief?"

"Yes he does", Lightning piped up, sounding a little annoyed. I think he was more than just a little annoyed, but he couldn't show it.

Still, the reporters had more questions.

"Aren't you a little young to be a crew chief?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"What happened to the Fabulous Hudson Hornet?"

"He's also our town doctor and they needed him more."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"No, but Lightning insisted."

"Look, look, guys!" Lightning called out, seeing how nervous I was. "I wouldn't give Fudge the job if I didn't trust her. She'll do great. You'll see. Now, come on. I don't want you distracting her."

"Yeah, I've got a job to do", I chimed in.

As the press dispersed, I could hear them all whispering things like, "I thought McQueen knew better than to use a kid as his crew chief! Then again, he's gone through so many crew chiefs, he must be desperate!" and "He doesn't want her to get distracted. Better make sure there's nothing shiny around!" I noticed some of the other teams' pit crews laughing at me too. I was so hurt and they were making me even more nervous. I just wanted to do well. I wanted to help Lightning.

Once they were gone, Lightning turned to me, beckoning me down from the stand. "C'mere, Fudge-O."

"Okay..." I climbed down and knelt down on his hood on his invitation. I looked around as some of the other crews started laughing at me.

"Just ignore them, Fudge. I have faith in you."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. But the other important thing is for you to have faith in yourself. Don't worry about anyone else. Just know I trust you, all right?"

I nodded nervously. "All right."

Lightning gave me a big hug and a kiss, which I returned without hesitation. "Good luck. You got this."

I sure hoped so.

As I climbed back onto the stand, my first thought was, _Wow! This view is awesome!_ Still, it was hard to block out the laughter ringing out around me as people caught glimpses of me up on the crew chief stand. I think the only ones who weren't laughing at me were Lightning, Luigi, Sarge and The King, who gave me a reassuring smile from the crew chief stand for his nephew, Cal Weathers. At least four people believed in me. That sort of balanced out the several thousand people who _didn't_ believe in me (not really!) It was making me nervous, but I remembered what Doc had said just days prior about risks you should and shouldn't take. I had no idea if this was a risk I should take or not. Still, Lightning thought I should, so there I was.

However, I forgot all about that when I could hear Chick Hicks start to taunt both Lightning and me through my headset. I was very afraid of Chick Hicks. Not only had he made me cry that one time, but a year ago, when I was eight, he blackmailed me into stealing from the other residents of Radiator Springs.

" _Hey, McQueen!_ " he called out. " _Thanks for making this race a little easier for me!_ "

" _She knows what she's doing, Chick_ ", Lightning insisted. " _And if you say one more word_ _about it, I will punch your lights out._ "

Chick just laughed, remembering what happened the last time Lightning threatened to punch his lights out over something he said to or about me.

"Just ignore Chick", I instructed Lightning, repeating what Doc had told him on several occasions. "Don't let him get to you and you'll be fine."

" _Got it!_ " Lightning confirmed. " _Thanks, Fudge!_ "

I managed a small smile. "That's what I'm here for."

"Green flag!" I called out, noticing the flag being waved. "You know what to do!"

" _I sure do!_ " My brother took off with the forty-two other racers.

" _Boogity, boogity, boogity!_ " Darrell Cartrip yelled. " _Let's go racin'!_ "

* * *

The race was underway. I was nervous, but I managed to guide Lightning through the first couple of laps.

"Just keep your cool", I repeated over and over again, trying to remember what Doc would say and what I knew about the sport. "Don't force anything yet. It's still early days."

" _Right. You're doing well._ "

"Thanks. So are you." I complimented, watching Lightning climb his way through the pack. "There's an opening between Brick and Cal. That's it! You got it!"

" _Lightning McQueen is making steady progress today_ ", Bob Cutlass commented.

" _His tiny crew chief seems to be doin' a pretty good job_ ", Darrell Cartrip added.

I smiled, knowing that I was gaining the respect of some of the spectators.

"Okay. I think it's time for you to pit", I announced.

" _All right_ ", Lightning obliged, coming into the pits.

I jumped down from the crew chief stand and helped Luigi change Lightning's tyres and helped Sarge fill him up with fuel.

"Just keep doing what you're doing for now", I instructed him. "I'll let you know when there's anything else you need to do."

"Got it!" Lightning rocketed out of the pits and back on the track.

" _Wow! McQueen only has a three-member pit crew at this race, but they certainly are_ _efficient. Even with a nine-year-old on the team_ ", Bob observed.

I groaned. It always seemed to be coming back to that. Still, I had to ignore them and keep going with my job. I kept my eye on Lightning, especially since Chick was getting pretty close to him.

"Chick is moving up towards you!" I cautioned. "Be careful. We both know what Chick's like."

" _Yep. I'll watch out._ "

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Chick came up and rammed into Lightning. The latter spun out of control and was sent spinning into the grass, clipping another racer on his way.

"Turn right to go left, turn right to go left!" I shouted hysterically.

" _Got it!_ " Lightning confirmed, drifting across the dirt. He was able to make it back onto the track with little trouble, much to my relief; it wouldn't look good for me if Lightning crashed. And I was worried about what would happen to _him_ in that case, of course.

"Are you okay?" I questioned worriedly as he straightened out and the yellow flag was waved.

" _Yeah, I'm fine_ ", he assured me.

"Yellow flag!" I noted. "Bring it in! Be careful!"

" _I will._ " After a pause, he added, " _Are_ you _okay? You seem a little nervous._ "

"I am. I'm a bit worried about you." I paused too before I informed him, "I guess my head hurts a little too." I hadn't really noticed until then.

" _You're probably not used to wearing the headset, are you, Fudge-O_?" Lightning asked me. " _The race hasn't got long to go. Just hold on a little longer._ "

"Okay. Just keep making your way through", I instructed again. "Don't force it. Just let it come naturally."

Lightning did exactly what I said and I continued to guide him through the rest of the race. I also helped Sarge and Luigi in any and every way I could whenever he came into the pits.

* * *

By the time we got to the final lap, he was in sixth place.

'Okay, just four easy turns left", I repeated what Doc would tell him at this point of the race. "Just keep your cool and gun it now."

Lightning accelerated and weaved around two racers to climb into fourth.

"Yes!" I cheered excitedly. "Just keep going, keep going!" I repeated nervously.

However, he didn't seem to keep going. In fact, he was slowing down.

"What are you doing?!" I cried, horrified. "Come on! You gotta pick it up!"

" _Not so loud, Fudge!_ " he responded. " _My hood is killing me!_ "

But I had noticed something else. Chick Hicks was fast approaching.

"Lightning!" I exclaimed, but before I could get another word out, I started coughing. Then I sneezed. I sneezed again. And again. And again.

By the time I had recovered from my sneezing fit, Chick had knocked into Lightning, causing him to lose control. Chick did the same to the other racer in front on Lightning, who also lost control, clipping the racer in front of him who collided into the racer in front of _him_. Chick took advantage and zipped across the finish line first.

" **NOOO!** " I howled. I couldn't believe it!

" _It's Chick Hicks for the win!_ " Bob Cutlass commented.

I was satisfied to note that this news was met with loud booing (now that I think of it, why was Chick Hicks still racing when he was the least popular racer of all time?). Still, it didn't make me feel better about myself. Lightning could've won if it wasn't for me sneezing. I could've told him that Chick Hicks was coming up. I slid the headset away from my ears, rubbing my painful forehead. It was killing me! It didn't help that the press showed up.

"Fudge! What do you make of today's loss?"

"Do you have any comments?"

"Do you believe McQueen was unable to perform to his usual standard with you as his crew chief?"

I ignored them and ran off back to the trailer, coughing and sneezing all the way.

* * *

By the time I got back, I was crying. I felt horrible. I had _one_ job as the crew chief and I screwed it up so bad. Not only had Lightning been relying on me. Doc had been relying on me. Sarge and Luigi had been relying on me. Everyone in Radiator Springs had been relying on me. Even the fans had been relying on me. I just had to face it. I'd really let everyone down.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Fudge!" Lightning called out.

"Yeah?"

He took one look at my tear-stained face and sighed, giving me a big hug. "Look, I know you're upset-"

"I let everyone down!"

"What are you talking about?"

I explained what happened and how it was all my fault.

"Hey! This was _not_ your fault!" he insisted. "This was your first time as the crew chief. You did your best. You still did a great job! Besides, I wasn't feeling that great either."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I told you my hood was killing me and I..." He trailed off and had a massive sneezing fit of his own. So did I.

"I'm so proud of you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

I gave him a hug back and both of us sneezed loudly.

I think you can guess that both Lightning and I came down with the sickness that had been going around town. The next day, I was stuck in bed, coughing, sneezing and vomiting. I didn't see Lightning all that much, so I'm pretty sure he was doing the same.

By the way, my family also insisted that they weren't disappointed in me either. They reminded me of the same things Lightning did: it was my first time and I did the best I could. Still, when Lightning had recovered and we were all back in the pits, I was all too glad to hand the headset back over to Doc.

 **I'm never really sure how to write racing scenes. Although Fudge does, I don't really know anything about racing or actual cars, so I worry my racing scenes lack detail. And I'm never sure how much detail to include to begin with.**

 **Well, I hope you enjoyed that! Tune in next week for the start of part three! In the meantime, please review! (Oh, I know I've asked this before, but _did_ anybody have any requests for this story?) Thanks. Fudge.**


	9. P3: Happy Birthday to Me!

**So, it's Fudge's birthday! To celebrate, I'm updating this story and _Our Town: Tales From Radiator Springs_! Yay! I hope you enjoy that!**

 **Part 3**

 **Chapter 1- Happy Birthday to Me!**

This is part three of my story. I know that's a dumb way to start the next part in my life story, but I just have to let you know that part three of my story is definitely gonna be one of the hardest parts to write because this is one of the worst times of my life. So, just bear with me.

A couple of weeks later, I was a lot happier. Lightning continued to win races with Doc's help and I couldn't be more proud of him. He even won his third Piston Cup, which made all of us even more proud and to celebrate, a bunch of us spent a week in Mexico, which was a blast! Then I woke up one morning feeling excited, but I didn't know why. At least, not until Lightning and Mater came charging into my bedroom, yelling, "Happy birthday, happy birthday!"

I grinned as I sat up in bed. "Thanks!" I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about my birthday! I guess with the racing season getting so crazy and the entire town getting sick. Even so, I was glad it was here. I always looked forward to my birthday feverishly. I had been looking forward to this birthday in particular. I was ten years old!

"Double figures!" my family had exclaimed on several occasions. "That's a big deal!"

"C'mon!" Mater used his tow hook to yank my covers away from me and pulled me out of bed. "We is gon' celebrate yer birthday!"

"Yay!" I cheered, running after them.

"Happy birthday, angel!" Luigi greeted me as I came out of my bedroom. He and Guido each gave me a kiss.

"(Happy birthday!)" Guido echoed in his native tongue.

" _Grazie!_ " I replied.

"Oh, I can't believe it has been ten years since my daughter was born! We still remember when you were born."

My fathers- and my other family members, except Lightning and Sally- said that to me every year on my birthday.

"Why don't we go over to Flo's?" Luigi suggested. "I am sure everyone will want to see the birthday girl!"

"The birthday girl!" I exclaimed. "That's me!"

Luigi laughed. "That's right!"

* * *

I didn't even bother to change into my regular clothes before heading over. It was an unofficial tradition for me to go over to Flo's in my pyjamas on my birthday and I would dress into my new clothes, which I would receive as presents.

Of course, everyone wanted to see the birthday girl.

"Happy birthday, Fudge!" they all yelled. "Can you believe it's been _ten years_ since you were born?!"

"Thanks!"

"One, two, three!" Luigi called out, prompting everyone to start singing "Happy Birthday" while I just stood there with a big smile on my face.

It got even bigger when Flo had my breakfast for me. It was the same as I got every year for my birthday: chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries and ice cream. It's so delicious and Flo only ever makes it for me on special occasions, which makes them even more special!

"Thanks, Flo! It looks delicious!"

"No problem, honey", she assured me. "Happy birthday!"

I took a big bite. "It _tastes_ delicious too! Thanks!"

Everyone smiled.

"Finish your breakfast, Fudgie", Luigi announced. "Then it is time for presents!"

I swallowed my mouthful of pancake, strawberries and ice cream. "Okay!"

When I finished eating, Mater used his tow hook to bring forward a wagon full of presents and envelopes. I was always impressed by the sheer amount of presents I got and this year was no exception. Apart from my family in Radiator Springs, I would receive presents from Luigi's relatives in Italy; Lightning's racing buddies; Rusty and Dusty and even several from fans!

"Who's this from?" I questioned, picking up a present from the pile.

"That's from me", Lightning answered.

"Thank you, Lightning!"

"You're welcome, sweetie, Happy birthday!"

I unwrapped the present to reveal a box.

"Oooh, a box!" I exclaimed, giggling. "Just what I always wanted!"

Everyone laughed.

"Okay. Let's see what's inside." I opened the box.

"Nothing's inside", Lightning informed me, laughing. "You said you wanted a box."

"'I couldn't afford a present this year'", I quoted _SpongeBob SquarePants_ , one of my favourite TV shows, giggling, "'so I got you this box.'"

My family laughed again.

"Hey, to be fair, Fudge, for my last birthday you gave me a hug", Lightning reminded me.

"But I thought that was a good present!" I protested. "You always say I give the best hugs!"

Lightning grinned. "You _do_ give the best hugs, Fudge. It really was a great present."

When I saw what was really inside the box, I let out a squeal of delight. After I started going to races, I had a 95 T-shirt, but this was my very own racing jacket. I marvelled at the Rust-Eze logo on the front; the yellow lightning bolts going down the sleeves and the black and white checkered pattern on the shoulders.

"Thank you, Lightning! This is _awesome_!"

"Look at the back", he instructed me.

So, I did and I squealed again. Written across the back were my name and the number 95.

"This jacket was made especially for you, Fudge-O", Lightning explained. "There isn't another jacket like that in the world."

"I love it!" I proclaimed, immediately trying it on. "Thank you so much!"

"I'm glad you love it", he responded with a big smile. "And I'm glad it fits", he added, studying it.

"Yeah, it would kind of suck if it didn't", I agreed.

I wore my jacket over my pyjamas as I continued to open my other presents. A lot of them were toys, clothes, books and DVDs. I got a notepad and some brightly coloured markers to go with it. I got a subscription to a racing magazine. At one point, I reached for one present in particular, but Doc stopped me.

"Why don't you save that one till last, kiddo?" he suggested.

"Okay..." I obliged suspiciously, setting it aside.

So, after thanking Flo for the latest _Diary of a Wimpy Kid_ book (I'd been into the books ever since I got a role as an extra in the movie based on them), I reached for the present from Doc. I wondered what it was. It must've been something pretty big if Doc wanted me to save it till last. I tore off the wrapping paper slowly and carefully as if expecting it to explode. Of course, it didn't, but still, I screamed when I saw what it was.

"Oh, my gosh!" I squealed.

"Do you like it?" Doc quizzed me with a smile.

"Like it?!" I repeated incredulously. "I _love_ it!"

What _was_ it, exactly? Well, it was something I had wanted for a very long time: a collection of race car figures! This box set featured racing legends from the fifties: the Fabulous Hudson Hornet (of course), Junior Moon, River Scott, Louise Nash and a bunch of others too. These were extremely rare and very valuable collectibles, so I put the box down carefully, leapt up and gave Doc a big hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The Hudson Hornet just shrugged modestly. "It was nothin', kiddo. You think it was difficult for the Fabulous Hudson Hornet to get this for you?"

"Well, thank you!"

He was smiling as I hugged him some more. I could've sworn I heard him sniff and when I looked, his eyes were bright.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

Doc had gotten sick with the bug not long after Lightning and I had and he hadn't been the same after that. He seemed to get tired all of the time and he got sick more often. I was a little worried, but he would always insist that he was fine.

"Yeah, I'm all right", he assured me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just happy." He smiled some more and ruffled my hair playfully.

I smiled too.

* * *

"So, Fudge-O! What do you say we have a water fight?" Lightning suggested.

I lit up. "Yeah! That sounds like fun!" I reached for one of my presents. "And I got a new water gun!"

"Let's go!"

It wasn't long before I was dressed and ready to play. The town had shut down for my special day, so we had a lot of room to run around for our water fight. I had my new water gun, which had two holes for water to come out. Mater had a water gun too. Lightning and Sally had a supply of water balloons. Even Doc had some water balloons, which surprised me. Normally, he wasn't interested in water fights, but he was today. Red had his hose. We were ready.

" **GO!** " I hollered excitedly.

We all charged forward and launched balloons and jets of water at each other. I ran around, squealing with laughter, trying to run away from the many assaults that were coming my way. Doc was getting into it way more than I thought he would, laughing hysterically as he threw water balloon after water balloon at me.

"No!" I shrieked. " **NOOOOOOOOOOOO!** "

"Yeah, you better run, Fudge!" he teased me. "I'm comin'!"

I squealed again as he launched a load of water balloons at me as I tried to run, completely soaking my back.

"I win!" the cobalt blue car declared triumphantly.

"Oh, yeah?!" I aimed my water gun at him and sprayed a large stream of water right in his face!

Doc stared at me for a moment, trying to look serious, but he was laughing.

"Oh, you're gonna regret that!" He hurled several more water balloons at me.

The water fight went on for a pretty long time exactly like that before everyone was tired and sopping wet. So, we stopped for some lunch. I had a delicious cheeseburger with fries.

"What do you want to do now, Fudgie?" Luigi wanted to know once we'd all finished eating.

"I was thinking of reading one of my new books", I answered.

"Okay. Will you be okay on your own for a little while?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, whatever you do, don't go over to Flo's."

I could easily guess why I wasn't allowed over at Flo's, but I pretended I didn't know. "Why?"

"Never mind", Luigi replied. "Someone will come and see you soon."

"Okay..."

So, I read for a couple of hours (and I finished my book too; I'm a pretty fast reader!) and played with a couple of my new toys before Doc and Lightning showed up.

"Hey, kiddo!" Doc greeted me. "We were just about to go to Willy's Butte for some trainin'. D'you wanna join us?"

That sounded like fun, so I agreed immediately. I grabbed my helmet and magnets and I was ready to go.

"I'm so gonna beat you again, old man!" Lightning vowed as they made a beeline for the track.

Doc just chuckled. "Is that what you think, boy?"

"I don't think; I _know_."

"Well, you got the advantage", his mentor pointed out. "You got a rider helpin' you out." He turned to me. "Hey, Fudge! Whaddaya say you race with the Fabulous Hudson Hornet for this run?"

I grinned excitedly. Doc had let Lightning take me racing, but he'd _never_ let me race with _him_! I wasn't sure why when I'm pretty sure he trusted himself more than he trusted Lightning.

"Okay!" I agreed, leaping up onto his roof before he could change his mind.

"You ready, kiddo?" he quizzed me.

I nodded vigorously.

"What about you, Lightnin'? You ready?"

"I was born ready!"

"Can I say it?!" I requested eagerly. "Please?"

"It's your birthday", Lightning answered. "Go for it, Fudge-O."

"On your marks!" I cried. "Get set... **_GO_** **!** "

Lightning and Doc didn't need to be told twice. They revved their engines and zoomed away from the starting line. I was laughing and calling out things for Doc to look out for like uneven surfaces and big rocks. Doc and I were in the lead for a little while, but just as we made our way out of the quarter pipe, Lightning shot ahead of us. Doc laughed and I did too.

"Faster, Doc!" I yelled. "We gotta catch him!"

"You ready?" he asked me again. "I'm gonna go pretty fast."

"I can handle it!" I assured him seriously.

"All right..." He gunned it and I could handle it, but I was surprised to see that Doc was going that fast. Not that he was slow, but I'd never seen him go this fast. It was _awesome_!

"Go, Doc!" I cheered as we blazed past Lightning, laughing all the way. We were laughing because we were having so much fun and we were also laughing at the look on Lightning's face as we took the lead. It was _priceless_!

By that point, we just had one left turn to go and Doc knew just what to do. Still, it was my responsibility to make sure he knew what to do and when, so I told him.

"Turn right to go left!"

He grinned at me as he executed the drifting technique. "Exactly."

"Wheeeeeeeeeee!" I cried as we drifted across the dirt, making Doc laugh.

Doc straightened himself out and sped down the home stretch. He was way ahead of Lightning, so it was no surprise that we won the race. Still, that didn't make it any less satisfying.

" **YEAH!** " I whooped loudly. I'd stopped saying _ka-chow_ as often when I had to stop copying Lightning, although I still used it occasionally. I was yet to come up with my own catchphrase. I wanted it to be something really, really good.

"Whoo!" Lightning called out, catching up to us. "Great race!"

"Yeah!" I agreed. "That was an awesome race!"

Lightning looked to Doc in disbelief. "I can't believe you _won_!" he exclaimed.

He just shrugged with a grin. "I guess Fudge is just a good-luck charm."

I beamed at that comment.

"You're a very talented rider, you know that, Fudge?" Doc continued.

"Really?" My smile expanded.

Doc nodded. "Absolutely. I know Fudge Rossi-Topolino is gonna be a big name in racin' one day _very_ soon. I'm proud of you, kiddo." He looked over at McQueen, smiling, and added, "Of both of you. You're both gonna go far. I know it."

"Thanks, Doc", Lightning and I chorused.

"Well, I think it's time we head on over to Flo's", Doc announced.

"I thought I wasn't allowed over there", I reminded him.

"I'm sure you will be now", Doc assured me. "Let's go."

"Okay!" I agreed.

"Close your eyes, Fudge", Lightning instructed me when we arrived at Flo's.

"Okay..." I obliged, trying and most likely failing to act confused.

I was still on Doc's hood, so he drove in with me.

"You ready, Fudge-O? Open your eyes!"

So, I did and my face broke out into a huge grin. The entire café was covered in balloons and banners that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FUDGE! Pin the Bumper on the Car had been and a piñata that looked an awful lot like Chick Hicks had been set up. There was a boom box set up on the counter with Lightning's iPod plugged into it (at this time, I would always drive him crazy by wanting to borrow his iPod!) and on the other side of the counter were a row of drinks and a stack of cups.

"Happy birthday, Fudge!" my family repeated.

"Thanks!"

"Well, honey", Flo announced, "it's a little early for dinner, so do you want to play some games while we wait?"

"Yeah!" I cried.

And that's what we did. We started off with Pin the Bumper on the Car, which Sarge ended up winning. After that, Red won at Musical Statues. We all laughed hysterically as Mater totally obliterated the piñata and almost destroyed what was inside in the process. What _was_ inside? Well, the most fitting candy of all: fudge! Plus, there were a bunch of stickers and a whole lot of confetti! We all got showered in it, making us all laugh. Once that was all over, I won at Pass the Parcel! My prize was a massive block of white chocolate! (I think my family may have let me win!)

All the fun and laughter made me really hungry, so I was glad that dinner was served very quickly. For dinner, we had the same thing we always had on my birthday: a smorgasbord of some of my favourite foods. There were little pizzas; two or three different kinds of pasta; lots of mashed potatoes and gravy and potato salad. Flo makes the _best_ potato salad! I made sure to get a little bit of everything on my plate.

"Thanks, Flo!" I'd call every time I tried one of the foods on my plate. "This is delicious!"

The former show car would always smile and assure me that it was no trouble.

I was pretty full by the time all of the plates were cleared, but I knew what was coming now: Flo brought forward an awesome-looking ice cream cake with two candles, each with a different number to create the number 10. Once again, everyone sang "Happy Birthday" before I blew out the candles. I didn't make a wish because I was just so happy. Everyone cheered and honked their horns excitedly.

"Who wants cake?" Flo quizzed, removing the candles and producing a knife.

"I do, I do!" I cried excitedly.

I wasn't surprised that the cake was delicious. I wasn't surprised that Mater and Lightning were almost as eager as I was to try some. And I wasn't surprised when Sarge and Fillmore didn't want any (Sarge doesn't really like junk food and Fillmore's vegan). However, I _was_ surprised when Doc had some. Normally, he didn't like junk food either.

"Do you like it?" I asked him, unable to remember the last time I saw him eat ice cream.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's really good." All of a sudden, he moaned.

"What's wrong?" I wanted to know.

He gave me a smile. "Brain freeze", he explained.

I giggled.

"Hey, Fudge. What do you say we take this party outside?" Lightning suggested once the cake was gone.

I knew what he had in mind and agreed. "Yeah!"

Of course, in under a minute, all of the neon lights of our town shone, my bubble machine was going and the song "Sh-Boom" was playing over the loudspeakers. My family started cruising and dancing, but the centre of attention was me, of course. Everyone took turns dancing with me and spinning me around while I couldn't stop laughing or belting out the lyrics to "Sh-Boom".

"Dance with me, Doc!" I requested once I'd danced with everyone else.

I was convinced that Doc would tell me no. He wasn't really doing much. He never did during the neon cruises. I guessed that was because he didn't want to embarrass himself. However, he smiled and led me off to dance with him. I was laughing and he continued to chuckle.

I continued to sing. Then I added, "Are _you_ gonna sing?"

The Hudson Hornet gave me a smile. "You _really_ wanna hear me sing?"

I nodded. I was in a silly mood and I thought it would be funny. "You're doing a lot of things today I've never seen you do before!"

"Well, I think you're pushin' your luck, missy", he informed me with a laugh. Still, he obliged and sang.

All that did was make me giggle even more.

"Oh, you think it's funny, do you?"

He launched into the task of tickling me. Again, I squealed. Again, I laughed. I may or may not have wet myself.

It really was a perfect night, which ended when the music stopped and my entire family stopped to gaze admiringly at the neon lights. I was curled up on Luigi's hood, fighting to stay awake. Eventually, I didn't bother fighting it and fell asleep there. The perfect end to the perfect day.

Now, I know what you're thinking: _I thought you said this was a difficult part to write_ _about, Fudge. That doesn't sound so terrible._ Well, you're right. _That_ part wasn't terrible. I was just easing you in. Why don't I tell you how everything went downhill from there?

 **In case I wasn't very good at describing it, the part where they're racing was supposed to be one of the racing scenes Lightning remembers in _Cars 3_. I thought it would be nice to make it when Fudge was racing with them too. Guess I don't have much else to say, except please review!**


	10. P3: Doc!

**To Emily (guest): That does come up later in the story. They have a proper talk to Fudge about her mother when she's a bit older.**

 **To everyone: So, this is where things take a turn for the worst. Please read and review. I would say enjoy, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to. After all, if I've gotten the emotions right, you'll feel sad and if I haven't, then I haven't done a very good job of writing this. It's all so confusing! Just read the chapter!**

 **Chapter 2- Doc!**

It happened about a month after my birthday, in the middle of July. Maybe, looking back, I should've seen it coming. After all, Doc had been tired and unwell a lot for several months now. Still, it came as a massive shock to me.

It was supposed to be another day of training down by Willy's Butte. Lightning and Doc were lined up at the starting line and I was up on Lightning's roof, ready to go.

"Speed", Lightning whispered. "I am speed. Float like a Cadillac..."

"Sting like a Beemer!" Doc and I finished in unison.

"Do you wanna say it, Fudge?" Doc quizzed me.

"On your marks, get set... **GO!** "

We zoomed off, laughing and hollering. As it often did, making the left turn brought back memories of the first race Doc and Lightning had against each other.

"That was funny!" I proclaimed, giggling.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up", Lightning groaned.

"Well, you were too cocky for your own good", Doc reminded him. "But you learned way faster than I thought you would!"

"That's right!" Lightning responded. "I'm not gonna end up in a cactus today!"

Doc grinned. "We'll see."

I giggled, but I was also a little nervous. What did Doc mean by that? He may have just been joking, but I wouldn't put it past Doc; he could be very cruel when he wanted to be.

As it was, he didn't have anything planned, but he ended up scaring me all the same. After several laps going around the dirt track, we made the left turn again. Lightning nailed it. I remember twisting my head around to see how far behind Doc was. Despite the fact that he hadn't been well lately, he still managed to keep up a good pace while we were racing. Not this time, however. He was still a fair way behind. Not only that, but he was a bit shaky. It was obvious, even from a distance.

"Fudge?" Lightning called out.

I faced forward again. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I don't think Doc is."

At those words, Lightning stopped and spun around. I nearly went flying off his roof.

"Doc?"

If he hadn't have stopped, we never would've seen it. Doc was making his way towards the left turn. He still wasn't going that fast, but as he drifted across the dirt, he lost control all the same. I guess that was because of how much he was shaking. Doc failed to make the turn and skidded uncontrollably. I watched, horrified, not sure if he was going to stop. The good news was he did. The bad news was that when he did, he rolled over onto his side and couldn't get up.

"Doc!" Lightning yelled, just as shocked as I was.

I slid off his roof and the two of us raced over to the older Hudson Hornet.

"Doc?" I called fearfully. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" he assured me. He made another attempt to get up, but he just couldn't do it. Not only that, but he sounded very much out of breath. That's when I was _really_ starting to panic. Something was wrong. I had no idea what, but it was definitely something.

"You're not fine, Doc!" Lightning insisted. He turned to me. "Fudge, you stay here with Doc. I'll go back to town and get help."

"I can go", I offered.

"I'm faster!" Lightning reminded me. " _I'll_ go!"

Before I could protest any further (I guess I couldn't really argue with that, anyway), he was gone.

So, I waited with Doc. I wanted to go back to town and get help. I hadn't wanted to stay with Doc. I was afraid of him and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do while we waited. I couldn't move him and wasn't sure if I _should_ even if I _could_. Do I say something? Should I just wait in silence? I decided not to say anything unless Doc did first. He didn't. While I just stood there, staring at him, feeling helpless, he stared at me. I think he was feeling just as helpless and I think he knew how afraid I was.

You know, just as I'm writing this, I'm starting to wonder if it was really that bad. Of course, as you know now, the whole thing turned out to be about as bad as it gets. But this moment, though. I think it might have been a lot worse in my head than it was in real life. After all, Doc was still breathing. He was still conscious. He was responsive. I was just panicking.

It was about five painful minutes, which felt like five painful years, before my entire family came rushing back towards us. Nearly all of them made a beeline towards Doc while my fathers made a beeline towards me.

"Are you okay?" Luigi quizzed me.

I nodded uncertainly. "He scared me."

"(I know.)" Guido hugged me and turned me away from the sight. "(I am sure Doc is fine.)"

I wished I could be so sure.

As scared as I was, I kept looking over. I had to see what was going on. I remember someone called an ambulance, but I don't remember who. Everyone was trying to keep Doc warm and comfortable. Even though it was Arizona and the middle of July, he must have been very cold. I thought he would try to protest and insist to us that he was fine, but he didn't. He just remained silent and tried to focus on his breathing. The only time he spoke was when Sally asked him if he was in any pain.

"Yeah, a little", he responded. "In my engine..." He stopped and winced.

"That sounds like more than a little", she commented worriedly.

I was having to take deep breaths too. My heart was racing and my hands were shaking. My face was probably white too. I was so afraid. What was wrong with Doc?

* * *

If waiting for the others to arrive felt like a long time, then waiting for an ambulance to arrive felt like an eternity! Finally, they _did_ show up, though and we all reversed back to let the paramedics examine Doc.

"What's wrong with him?" I blurted out fearfully at one point, breaking the awful silence.

"We're not sure just yet", one of the paramedics replied. "We're going to take him to hospital and do some tests there. "

I had been afraid it would come to that, but I guess I should've known. In that state, how could they _not_ take him to hospital?

I nodded. "Okay..."

Doc must've seen how worried I was because he gave me a reassuring smile as he was loaded onto a stretcher. "I'll be fine, kiddo. They're just gonna figure out what's wrong, all right? I'll be home soon."

"All right..." I wasn't so convinced.

I did feel a little better, though, when we all decided to follow the ambulance. I sat in Mater's truck bed as we rode down the highway in silence, each thinking our own thoughts and concerns about Doc. What was wrong with him? Would he be okay? What if he wasn't? Those were the kinds of thoughts that were going around in my mind during that journey. The others were probably thinking the same thing.

The next time any of us spoke was when we arrived at the hospital. I demanded, "Where's Doc?" I looked around at the hospital and it only just occurred to me that I'd never been in one before. I'd been in Doc's clinic several times, of course, but never a hospital. It was just as bright and clean as Doc's clinic, but a lot bigger and a lot crazier. I was kind of overwhelmed.

"They're probably still examining him, sweetie", Sally explained gently. "I think we're just gonna have to wait."

"I'll find out", Sarge offered, going over to the reception desk. He came back about a minute later, confirming what Sally had just said.

Now, I'm not exactly known for my patience, but this time, I didn't complain. I just sat there, reading all of the signs on the walls, staring at the clock on the wall and looking over at each of my family members. They all looked as worried as I was. However, nobody looked more afraid than Lightning. He looked worse than even I felt. I'd only just noticed that, but now that I thought of it, he hadn't said or really done anything since he had returned to Doc and me with help. At the time, I just assumed it was because he was the only one besides me who had actually seen what happened to Doc. Now, I know it was much more than that.

Tick, tick, tick. I'd been watching that clock for nearly two and a half hours now. It was dark outside now. How long did it take to know what was wrong with someone? I lay up against Luigi, nearly falling asleep (it wasn't really late, but it had been a long day and I was physically and mentally exhausted), but I was quick to stir when a doctor approached us. Everyone was alert by then, eager to hear what this doctor had to say.

I don't remember the exact words the doctor used as there was a lot of jargon in there, but I remember the gist of what he was saying: they had done some tests and they still weren't really sure what was wrong with him. However, they still needed to wait a little while before some of the results came back.

"You can see him if you want", the doctor added. "Visiting hours are almost over, but you can have five minutes with him."

Five minutes didn't seem like an awful lot of time, but it was better than nothing, so we rode the elevator to Doc's room on the fifth floor. He was in Room 511, which we found in no time.

I hovered outside the door for a little while, afraid of what I would find when I went in there. I could hear Doc's voice, so he must have been okay.

"Where's Fudge?" I heard him ask.

"She came with us..." The sound of engines came closer to me.

"Hey, Fudge!" Ramone called. "You comin'? Doc wants to see you."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay..."

Ramone could tell I was nervous, so he took my hand and led me in.

Doc didn't look so bad. He was just lying there in a hospital bed. He wasn't hooked up to any machines, he wasn't unconscious. There was no slow beeping of a heart rate monitor. He looked weak and tired, but other than that, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him.

The Hudson Hornet smiled when I came into the room. "Hey, Fudge. I was wonderin' where you were."

"Well, I'm here... Are you okay?"

"I'm feelin' a little better", he assured me. "I still ain't feelin' too good, but I'm better than I was earlier."

I nodded. "So, what is it? What's wrong?"

"The doctors aren't sure yet, kiddo", he explained gently. "They've been doin' a lot of tests-"

"What kind of tests?" I jumped in.

"All kinds. Oil tests. X-rays. They've examined just about every inch of me."

"And they still don't know?"

"Doctors ain't miracle workers, Fudge", he reminded me. "I'm sure they'll know soon enough. We're still waitin' on some of the results."

"You didn't have an engine attack, did you?" At that point, I was thinking that that was one of the worst case scenarios. From what I'd heard, engine attacks sounded horrible. Of course, even as a ten-year-old, I could think of much worse possibilities as well, but I just couldn't bring myself to say them.

"It ain't an engine attack."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a doctor, remember? I know the symptoms of an engine attack and I ain't showin' any."

"If you're a doctor, don't you know what it is?" I asked.

He shook his hood. "I'm sure everythin' will be fine, though."

I nodded uncertainly.

Unfortunately, that was when a nurse came to kick us out.

"Can we come back to see him in the morning?" I wanted to know.

"Of course", the nurse answered. "But for now, he needs his rest."

For what felt like the millionth time that day, I just nodded, but I was still worried. However, there was nothing we could do about it. The doctors and nurses wanted us out, so I just gave Doc a kiss (he was so weak I was afraid to hug him) and told him I loved him.

"I love you too, kiddo", he replied.

Once again, the drive home was quiet. Not only were we worried, but we were exhausted. It had been a long day for all of us. Even so, as Luigi and Guido were putting me to bed that night, I wasn't sure if I was able to sleep.

"What if something happens?" I wondered. "The hospital might call!"

"They might not", Luigi pointed out. "You should just try to go to sleep."

"But what if they _do_ call? What if they need to tell us how Doc is?"

"Well, then we will come and wake you up, okay?" Luigi promised.

"Okay", I agreed.

"Good night, angel." The Fiat kissed me.

"Night, Luigi."

Guido also kissed me. "(Good night, Fudgie.)"

"Night, Guido."

I tried to sleep. I really did. However, when I rolled over and looked out of my window, despite the fact that everything looked the same as it always did, it made me think, _Doc's not there_. All of a sudden, the whole town felt empty and quiet. That was weird. Doc would hardly ever be in my bedroom at this time of night, but still, even my room felt empty and quiet without Doc's presence.

 _Don't worry about it!_ I told myself as I lay down and tried to sleep. _Doc will be home_ _soon! He's fine._ Those were the thoughts that were going around in my head as I went to sleep that night and I genuinely believed them. Doc, Luigi, Guido, Lightning, Sally, Mater, Fillmore, Sarge, Sheriff, Flo, Ramone, Red, Lizzie and I were, are and always will be a family. And family will always be together. No matter what.

 **Awww! Fudge is worried about Doc. In these kinds of situations, I'd be worried, but I really wouldn't be sure how to show it. So (since this is a self-insert), Fudge is asking all those questions to make sure Doc's okay. Please review! :)**


	11. P3: Good News

**Chapter 3- Good News**

I have no idea how it happened. One second, everything was fine and the next, the elevator just stopped very suddenly and very roughly. At first, I thought were just stopping on another floor to allow more people on, but for a long time, nothing was happening.

"Why have we stopped?" I quizzed Luigi, confused.

I think the elevator has stopped working", he replied.

Indeed it had. Great! We were supposed to be seeing Doc and we were stuck in this stupid elevator. The wait for help was a long one and all that time I was thinking about how worried I was about Doc. Was he going to be okay? It had been frustrating having to wait for morning to come to begin the long ride to the hospital. Now, _this_?! I really hoped nothing bad was happening to Doc at that moment. I would be so mad if that was the case and we couldn't be there.

By the time we got out of the elevator after waiting in there for close to forty minutes, I was practically tearing down the halls to Doc's room.

"Slow down, Fudgie!" Luigi called after me.

"I can't slow down!" I responded. "We need to go see Doc."

Once again, when we got there, Doc was lying there, looking weak and tired, but not like there was much else wrong with him. His eyes were closed, but they opened when we came into the room.

"I thought you were never gonna show up", he informed us with a smile.

"We got stuck in the elevator", I explained, coming closer to the bed with the card and the get well soon balloon I'd purchased downstairs.

"Come on, Doc", Lightning laughed. "You can't think we'd ever forget about you, _the_ Doc Hudson, can you?"

Doc let out a laugh too. "So, you got stuck in the elevator, did ya? Sounds like quite the ordeal."

We all nodded. "It was."

Mater, the storyteller of the group, described our elevator ordeal for in great, exaggerated detail. Doc was laughing and I took that as a sign that he was getting better.

"So, are you okay?" I wanted to know once the room was quiet.

"I'm feelin' a lot better than I was", Doc answered.

"So, do they know what's wrong yet?" I ventured.

"Not yet. All the tests came back negative."

"Oh."

"But I'm gettin' better and that's what's important", Doc reminded me. "I'm sure I'll be home in a couple of days."

That made me feel a little better. So, I managed a smile as I brought forward the balloon. "I got you this!"

The old car's grin expanded as I placed them on his bedside table. "Thanks, Fudge-O." He ruffled my hair, but it was a very half-hearted motion. "You're a good kid, you know that?"

I didn't answer. I thought it was a rhetorical question, but Doc repeated, "Hey. I asked you a question. You're a good kid, you know that?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I... I know that."

"I hope you do."

I was a little confused and grew even more so when the others announced that it was time to go and get some lunch in the cafeteria while Doc ate his own lunch.

"Fudge, can you stay here for a moment?" the Hudson Hornet requested. "I wanna talk to you."

I hesitated. What did he want to talk to me about?

Luigi turned to me. "Fudgie, when you are finished, take the elevator to the ground floor. I will wait for you there, okay?"

"Okay." I was a little nervous about being in the hospital by myself, but I just needed to get to the elevator and I knew where that was.

So, the others left and I was all alone with Doc, who gestured for me to come closer.

"You know, it's gonna be okay, Fudge", he began as soon as everyone else was gone.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure."

"But how do you know when they don't even know what's wrong with you?"

"It's gonna be okay", he repeated, "because I'll always be with you. You know that, right? I ain't ever gonna leave you."

"Yeah, I know." Back then, I had no idea what he was really saying; I thought he meant there was nothing wrong with him and when he came out of hospital, life would go on as if nothing had ever happened.

"And you know I love you?"

"Yeah. And I love you too."

"Now, gimme a hug."

So, I did and I felt him give me a kiss.

"Now, you go and get your lunch", he instructed me. "Maybe later, we can talk racin'."

That sounded good to me, so I just smiled and nodded. "Okay."

"Love you, kiddo."

"Love you too."

Doc and I did talk about racing a lot that week. I guess it was a way of coping with what was going on. As soon as we got to chatting about racing, it was as if the whole world just melted away and we were in this brand new one filled with revving engines, roaring crowds, the thrill of speed, the sight of the checkered flag and the smell of burnt rubber.

"Are you gonna keep racin'?" he questioned at one point.

"Yeah!" I answered. Why _wouldn't_ I?!

Doc just gave me a smile. "That's what I thought. I wouldn't be surprised if Fudge Rossi-Topolino ends up becomin' racing's next superstar."

I grinned. "I hope so."

"Well, you got a lot of stuff, kid. But no matter what you decide to do with your life, even if you change your mind and you don't wanna be a racer, I'll still be proud of you. Never forget that."

"I won't", I promised. "But I do wanna _be_ a racer."

"Well, I'm sure you will be."

After about a week of Doc staying in the hospital, we received some good news! He was coming home! The doctors never did find out what the problem was and they said there was no point keeping him in hospital when that was the case. I was so happy! I thought Doc would come home and we could all put his trip to the hospital behind us.

Since we didn't think Doc was safe to drive on his own, we insisted on having him ride in Mack's trailer while Lightning kept him company. The stubborn old car had protested at first, but in the end, he knew we weren't going to let it go, so he agreed reluctantly.

"Will Doc be here soon?" I quizzed the others impatiently while we waited for Mack to return with Doc. Not only were we eager to see Doc, but we were planning a celebration for him. I even put on a dress for the occasion.

"I'm sure he'll be here any minute now", Luigi answered.

"You've really missed, Doc, haven't you, soldier?" Sarge stated the obvious with a smile.

"Yeah", I stated the obvious too.

"We all have, honey." Now, Flo was stating the obvious.

"Do you think we have enough time to make a welcome home sign?" I wondered.

"That there's a purty good idea, Fudge!" Mater proclaimed.

"Let's go and get some art supplies!" Ramone suggested.

I followed the Lowrider back to his shop.

The next half hour was spent preparing a sign that read WELCOME HOME, DOC! We were just getting it up as we had that familiar horn blare out.

"Doc!" I exclaimed, rushing forward.

"Fudge, wait here!" Luigi called out.

"(Wait!)" Guido echoed in Italian, grabbing hold of me with his forks.

So, I stood back and watched as Mack pulled into Flo's. Time seemed to move at a slow pace as he came to a stop and his trailer door opened. Finally, though, we could see Doc coming out.

"Doc!" I repeated, rushing towards him to give him a hug.

"Careful, kiddo", he cautioned not unkindly, returning the hug. "I'm not completely better yet."

"Do you like the sign?" I gestured to it.

The cobalt blue car peered past me and at the sign. "I love it. You're glad I'm home, huh?"

"Absolutely. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"We all did", Lightning piped up, joining in the hug as did everyone else one after another before we were all enveloped in a massive group hug.

After the hug broke off, Flo began serving everyone with drinks. She had oil for my vehicular family and soda for me. We sat around Flo's for hours just talking and laughing about nothing in particular. Everyone was just in a really good mood, which lingered all night. I climbed into bed with a big smile on my face and slept much better than I had while Doc had been in hospital, convinced that all was right in the world again.


	12. P3: The Final Days

**I would've updated this earlier, but for some reason, I didn't. It was also partly because I had a pretty emotional day last week (everything's fine, though; my cat, who's also my best friend, had to go to the vet's and we thought she was going to be put down, but she's okay!) and it just took me a couple of days to recover from that. Anyway, I'm up to writing part five of this story, so I guess I better crack on with posting!**

 **Chapter 4- The Final Days**

Two weeks went by and things seemed as though they were going back to normal. Everyone in town went about their normal business. Sarge and Fillmore started arguing over their music at stupid o'clock every morning. Mater continued to go tractor tipping. I kept on practising my racing with Lightning and going around town to help everyone out and try to make them smile.

The only one who had really changed was Doc. I wasn't surprised that he didn't join Lightning and me for racing anymore. He was too slow and tired. The other thing he was doing was a surprise, though. He would come over to each of our homes/businesses and spend more time with all of us. Nobody besides me seemed to think that was odd and I didn't either when Luigi explained to me why none of them felt that way.

"Doc has been through a lot", he told me. "He just wants to be with the people he cares about now and appreciate the fact that he is okay."

That made sense to me. "Oh. Okay."

So, it came as no surprise to me when Doc came over late one Wednesday night while I was getting ready for bed and parked by my bedside.

"You doin' anythin' tomorrow, kiddo?" he asked me.

"Not really. Why?"

"How'd you like to go to the city tomorrow? Just you and me?"

"That sounds fun!" I declared. I actually had mixed feelings about the city. I was in awe of all the tall buildings, the excitement at many possible things to do and the bright lights if we were there at night. Although, on the other hand, the crowds of people, the loud noises and the sheer size of the city made me feel nervous. "What are we gonna do?"

"Well, I got a surprise for you in the afternoon, but in the morning, we'll do whatever you want. Sound good?"

I grinned. "Okay!"

"So, you get some sleep, all right? We got a big day tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night, Doc."

"Night, Fudge. I love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

Doc and I left Radiator Springs right after breakfast to begin the long drive to the city.

"So, Fudge", Doc began, "have you decided what you wanna do?"

I'd been thinking about it all night, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do. "There's a new movie out I really wanna see!"

"Yeah? What movie?"

" _Despicable Me_."

"Is that the one you've seen advertised on TV? With those weird yellow creatures?"

"Minions! Yeah!"

"We can do that. I just gotta remember where the movie theatre is."

"Okay!"

Luckily, it didn't take Doc long to remember where the movie theatre was and it definitely wasn't long before we were sat inside with lots of popcorn and candy. Normally, Doc would veto the candy, telling me that I'd just had breakfast or that there was too much sugar in it, but that day, he didn't.

"Why not? After all, it's a special day", were his exact words.

So, I loaded up on popcorn, soda, M&Ms and Twizzlers before making my way into the theatre with Doc.

I thought the movie was great! There were several parts that made me laugh and because the movie contained orphans who got adopted, it reminded me of my own story.

I think Doc was thinking the same thing because when the movie was over and the lights came on, he gave me a big hug.

"You're Radiator Springs's little kitten", he informed me. "You know that?"

I nodded. "Yeah! That makes you a unicorn!"

(You'll have to see the movie to understand those references!)

Doc laughed. "Well, I'm glad you came into my life."

"Really?"

"Of course I am. I'm always tellin' you what a great kid you are! And I'm finally passin' on my racin' knowledge to someone."

"What about Lightning?" I wondered.

"All right. I'm finally passin' on my racin' knowledge to someone with intelligence."

We both cracked up. (Lightning, if you're reading this, I'm sorry, but _Doc_ said it, not _me_!)

"Well, what do you say we grab some lunch? Or are you too full from all your candy?"

"I can eat lunch!" I insisted.

Doc chuckled some more, rubbing my stomach. I was a little pudgy back then. "Why am I not surprised, little missy?"

We grabbed some convenient store sandwiches for lunch before Doc announced that it was time for the surprise he had for me.

"What is it?!" I wanted to know.

"If I tell you, it won't be a surprise, now will it, Fudge?"

So, I just had to sit up on his roof while Doc drove to the mystery location. I was pretty silent along the way, trying to think of where we could possibly be going. I didn't recognise the part of the city we were in, so I wasn't sure what was around.

"All right, Fudge-O. Close your eyes."

I obeyed, wondering when we would be there. I didn't see anything around of particular interest to me.

"Are we nearly there?"

"Nearly", he answered. "Just keep your eyes closed until I say so."

"Okay..."

My eyes were closed for about two minutes before Doc announced, "We're here!"

I opened my eyes in a flash and I saw that our destination was the racetrack! I'd been there before for races and when Lightning practised on the track there (sometimes taking me with him!), but Doc had taken a different route to get there!

"There's a race goin' on today", he informed me. "We're gonna watch it!"

"That sounds fun!" I slid down from his roof and jumped up and down. Then I gave him a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"No problem. Now, stay with me 'cause I got the tickets."

"Okay!"

I was bouncing around for the whole wait to get in, but I managed to stay with Doc, even despite the mass of fans who recognised the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and wanted autographs and photos. Of course, he obliged, but was quick to hurry me along when it was over.

We went in and found our seats right up the front.

"We're gonna have to see the racetrack the way the Average Joes see it today", Doc whispered to me.

I nodded. It was weird being in the stands rather than the pits, but since we were right up front, I still got a great view.

"You know, this is a very special race", the Hudson Hornet explained. "You know why?"

"Why?"

He gestured with a tyre towards the pit area. "Look over there."

I looked. "Humans!"

"That's right. Every racer here has a rider."

"Cool!"

It wasn't a very big race. There were only about twenty-five racers in that one rather than forty-three. Not only that, but Doc was right. Every single one of them had a human up on their roofs.

"You see what they're doin'?" Doc pointed. "How they're up on the middle of the roof? That is just the right position to be in. That way, it's harder for you to slide off either side. Sometimes, you're a little too close to the sides."

I nodded. "Okay."

All through the race, Doc and I were discussing the positions of both the racers and the riders, what they should be doing at any given point and pointing out any flaws and mistakes anybody made.

"They were too close to the wall", I commented when a racer lost control, clipped the wall hard and caused a massive pileup.

"They should've pitted about three laps ago and had their oil checked!" I observed when one of the cars had an oil leak.

"That rider's not leaving enough space between their head and the car's front end!"

It really was a good learning experience for me, especially since I hadn't had the opportunity to see many riders in real life. Only on TV. In the end, after analysing the good and the bad each racer did, I was easily able to predict the winner. And I was right!

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "They were number fifty-one!"

"I guess fifty-one's just a lucky number, hey, Fudge-O?"

I smiled and nodded. "I guess so!" I paused and added, "I wonder what _my_ racing number's gonna be."

"Well, what numbers do you like?"

"I like ninety-five and fifty-one", I responded in a heartbeat with a smile. "But they're already taken."

"Well, I'm sure it'll still be a great number. Especially if you're the one wearin' it."

"Thanks, Doc."

* * *

We continued to talk about racing as we made our way to Pizza Planet for dinner (I've done several commercials with them because the first one was such a success and I got discounts!).

"Did you have any riders when you raced?" I think I'd already asked Doc that, but I couldn't remember.

"A couple", he replied. "I didn't really know 'em all that well, though. I mean, it was a new thing back then. Some of us felt like it was an unfair advantage. Having humans help a car in the race..." He trailed off with a big grin on his face.

"What's so funny?" I wondered.

"Not all of them were humans", he answered. "I've told you about how I lived in Thomasville, haven't I?"

I thought for a moment before replying with, "A little bit."

"Well, we had a goose in Thomasville- his name was Herman- and one of my friends, River-"

"River Scott?" I jumped in. River Scott was a racing legend from around the same time as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet.

"That's him", Doc confirmed. "River tried to use Herman as a rider!"

"Really?" I giggled.

"Yep. He thought he could train Herman to help him. There was the whole 'one honk for yes, two honks for no' thing goin' on. One long honk if there were rocks he needed to watch out for. He came up with a system for just about every possible danger out on the track." He laughed and shook his hood. "Now, Herman was a very intelligent goose, but I don't think he was _that_ intelligent."

"It didn't work, did it?" I guessed.

Doc laughed some more. "Of course it didn't work! You wanna know what happened? River managed to get Herman securely on his roof. Then he started his engine and took off. Herman panicked, somehow broke free from his restrains and tried to jump off. Only, he landed right in River's windshield. He couldn't see a thing and crashed right into the barrier!"

I laughed so hard and so loud that everyone in the Pizza Planet stared at me. (River Scott, if you're reading this, I'm _not_ sorry! That's _hilarious_!)

"That's hilarious!" I exclaimed. "I wish I was there! You should've filmed it!"

"I think I did!" Doc informed me. "I'll have to see if I can find it for you."

* * *

All through our main course of pizza and dessert of monster-sized ice cream sundaes, Doc told me stories of his racing days. The goose crew chief one was definitely the funniest. Some of them were just as funny, but some of them weren't. All of them were amazingly fascinating, though. I could've listened to Doc talk forever. However, after a while, he checked the time and announced that we should get going.

"It's gettin' late", he informed me. "We're probably gonna get in after your bedtime, missy."

"Thanks for today, Doc! I really had fun."

"No problem, kiddo. I had fun today too, but we really should be gettin' back."

"All right... Can you tell me some more racing stories on the way home?"

"If you want me to."

So, he did. He told me all about his racing days all the way down the highway towards Radiator Springs. He even opened up a little about his crash.

"You know, if I could do the whole thing over again, I would still let the crash happen", he explained to me. "You know what I would change, though?"

I shook my head. "What?"

"I wouldn't have let it get to me so much. Sure, my crash was devastating and I spent months recovering from it, but I still had so much to be thankful for. I just wish I knew that back then." He looked me deep in the eyes. "Don't you go makin' the same mistake."

"I won't", I promised.

* * *

I ended up falling asleep on the way home and woke up in my bed on Friday morning. I don't really have an awful lot to say about that morning. I was just doing what I always do. I had breakfast in the morning where I recounted the amazing day I'd had before, I helped Flo with some dishes after breakfast, I assisted my fathers in a new tyre display and played around town until lunchtime. Then, after lunch, it was more playing until, late in the afternoon, it was time for racing.

Like I said, Doc stopped accompanying us out on the track, but he continued to watch us. That was exactly what he was doing on this occasion. Lightning and I zoomed around the dirt track, both putting in our very best efforts and I thought we were doing a pretty good job. After about fifty laps, Doc called us in, so I was a little worried that _he_ didn't think so.

Although, that wasn't the case. He just smiled at us.

"What?" I wondered.

"Nothin'", he responded. "I just wanted to let you know I'm so proud of both of you. I ain't even said anythin' and you've both known just what to do. You've done a good job."

Lightning and I looked at each other, puzzled. This wasn't the first time we'd done that. Then we remembered how Doc had been acting lately and figured he just wanted to appreciate this along with everything else.

"You remember what I've told you and there's nothin' stoppin' either of you from bein' greater than I ever was."

"I don't know about that... You're the Fabulous Hudson Hornet", Lightning and I responded in unison.

"And you're the Fabulous Lightnin' McQueen and Fabulous Fudge Rossi-Topolino! Lightnin', you're already a great racer and Fudge, you're gonna be a bigtime racer too one day. I just know it."

I grinned. "Thanks!"

"Now, why don't you get back out there and show me what you both can really do?"

It was Lightning's turn to grin. "Now, you're talking!" He blazed off with me still on his roof.

We continued to do lap after lap before Lightning grew tired.

"We should head over to Flo's now", Doc suggested. "Then you know what we should do later tonight? We should have another neon cruise and then go and look at the stars."

"Yeah!" I cried, bouncing up and down. We hadn't had a cruise since my birthday, but we hadn't gone stargazing by Willy's Butte in ages.

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Lightning questioned, eyeing Doc worriedly. "You look really tired. You might wanna turn in early."

"No, I'm fine", Doc insisted.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Well, I guess I'm a little tired, but I wanna do this with the people I love."

I smiled.

* * *

So, that's what we did. As soon as the dishes from dinner were taking care of and it was dark enough, "Sh-Boom" was playing and the neon lights and my bubble machine were going. My vehicular family were cruising up and down Main Street and I was dancing up and down Main Street, all just having the time of our lives. My dancing was making everyone laugh and again, I took turns dancing with each of my family members.

"You havin' fun, kiddo?" Doc quizzed me when I got to dance with him.

"Yeah!"

"You want me to sing again?"

"No! I've learned my lesson!"

Doc laughed. "That bad, huh?"

I giggled. "Yep."

"All right. I won't."

I was expecting Doc to say something else with how talkative he'd been lately. However, he didn't. He just laughed and gave me a kiss. Then he continued to dance with me until I moved on to dance with Sarge.

Later on, though, as I was dancing with Mater, I heard Doc talking to Lightning.

"The town looks incredible like this."

"I know", Lightning agreed.

"I'd never seen it like this till you came along. Thank you."

"It was nothin', really", Lightning responded modestly.

"Not to me, it wasn't. And not to anyone else either. You brought hope and happiness back to this town. Even though you didn't care about it at all at first."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad I changed my mind."

"You'll always take care of the town, won't you?"

"Of course I will! I can't leave this place now!"

I don't think those were the exact words and I'm pretty sure they talked more, but that was the gist of the conversation. I noticed Doc going around and talking to everyone else, but again, with everything going on with Doc lately, I didn't think much of it.

* * *

This cruising and dancing went on for a while before we all began to grow tired. Most of us, myself included, wanted to turn in for the night, but Doc insisted on going to look at the stars by Willy's Butte.

"I'm tired", I protested.

"Just for a few minutes", Doc insisted again.

"Okay", I yawned.

Later on, I was so glad that I went.

On Doc's invitation, I sat up on his hood and gazed up at the stars glittering the sky.

"It's beautiful!" I commented.

"Yes, but not as beautiful as you, angel!" Luigi kissed me.

"That's right', Doc agreed.

"There's a shooting star!" I cried abruptly, pointing. "Make a wish!"

I remember making a wish, but I don't remember what it was. I do know it was definitely something trivial.

"You all right, kiddo?" Doc quizzed me at one point, breaking the content silence.

"Yeah", I assured him.

"You're not cold, are you?"

"Nope."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Space", I answered, waving my arms up to the night sky. "Looking at all these stars makes me wonder what it's like in space and what there really is out there."

Lightning nodded thoughtfully. "There could be anything."

I grinned. "Maybe there really _is_ a Pizza Planet like in my commercial! That would be so cool!"

"It would give the planet's _crust_ a whole new meaning!" Lightning joked, making all of us laugh.

"Yeah! And maybe the surface will be made of cheese like they say about the moon! And maybe the oceans will be made of tomato sauce!

Doc laughed along with everyone else and gave me a kiss. "I love you, Fudge", he whispered to me, his voice sounding much older and hoarser than it ever had. "Never get older."

I sighed happily. "I love you too, Doc."

" _I love you, Fudge. Never get older._ " Those were the last words, besides my own, that I heard that night before I curled up and drifted off to sleep right there on Doc's hood.

 **I love the goose crew chief story! XD My friend, PinkCookie11, and I have turned River Scott into this unbelievably goofy character and there's no turning back now! Herman AKA the Loyal Goose of Thomasville is going to make more appearances; I think he's one of my favourite OCs!**

 **Well, I think you can guess what's about to happen... Please review!**


	13. P3: He's Gone

**Good news is I've got a new chapter for this story for you! Bad news is this is the sad part.**

 **Chapter 5- He's Gone**

Well, _you_ probably know what happened next. I think my family did too. Me? I didn't see it coming _at all_.

I remember hearing a lot of noise and commotion around me, but I just assumed it was part of my dream, so I ignored it. It worked for what felt to me like a minute, but then I heard all of my family's voices (and some of them sounded quite teary?), calling out things like, "Fudge! Fudge, wake up, sweetheart!" I could feel several tyres shaking me gently too.

I groaned and rolled over. I rubbed my eyes and when my blurry vision adjusted, I could see that it was still dark outside, but the sun was just beginning to rise. It was early Saturday morning. Then I saw my entire family staring at me. As it turns out, most of them _were_ crying. Red was sobbing loudly as were both my fathers. Lightning was sniffling and hiccupping with tears streaming down his hood. Heck, even Sarge had tears in his eyes. I was definitely awake by then and I was beginning to get really worried. I'd never seen Lightning or Sarge cry before. Something was definitely very wrong, but I didn't know what.

"What?" I questioned fearfully.

My question was only met with silence.

"What?" I repeated. "Guys, you're scaring me."

There were still a couple of moments before Luigi gave a loud sniffle and hiccup. "Come here, Fudgie", he whispered to me, inviting me up onto his hood.

I slid off Doc's hood, which had been quite cold, and when I did, I turned back to look at the Hudson Hornet.

Nobody needed to tell me what was wrong. I'd seen for myself. Doc was parked there with his eyes closed and a smile on his face, completely still and silent. I knew he wasn't just asleep. He didn't look like he was asleep. He just looked-

I gasped. I felt all of the colour drain from my face as my heart skipped several beats. I tried to form words, but I just couldn't. For the first time in my life, I was speechless. You may think that I was shocked and upset by what I was seeing and the enormity of it, but to be honest with you, that wasn't even my first thought. My first thought was how creeped out I was by the fact that I'd just spent the night sleeping on a dead person! I don't think my family knew that, though.

"Come here, Fudgie", Luigi repeated.

He wanted me to sit up on his hood, but I was just rooted to the spot. I wanted to take my eyes off Doc, but I just couldn't.

"How did this happen?" I wondered, the words sounding distant like they were coming out of someone else's mouth. "He... He was getting better. He was _fine_!"

Everyone gave me sad looks.

"No", Sarge disagreed, choking on the words. "No I don't think he was."

"He was old, Fudge", Luigi explained, reaching out to stroke my hair. "He was old and he wasn't well. We all knew this was coming."

 _But_ I _didn't!_ I felt like screaming. Yet I didn't. The words wouldn't come out. Now, I was beginning to grow shocked by what had happened. It just didn't feel real. All I could do was nod my head as if I understood, but I really didn't.

"Come here!" Luigi insisted one more time as more sobs escaped from him. "It is going to be okay, Fudge."

I just shook my head. _How is it_ possibly _gonna be okay if Doc's dead?_ Everyone was staring at me. I think they were all expecting me to cry or have some sort of reaction, but I just couldn't do that.

"Fudgie?" my father ventured yet again.

I didn't answer. Instead, I turned on my heel and ran.

"Fudgie!" Luigi called after me.

"Let her go", I heard Sheriff instruct him gently.

* * *

So, I went. I don't really remember what happened. I just know I ran for a long time with my brain going onto autopilot. I wasn't thinking about anything, but I didn't mind that. At least I wasn't thinking about Doc. I'm not sure how long I did that for, but I do know the sun was all the way up by the time I stopped to rest (well, when I say rest, I mean just sag to the floor in the dirt and sit there, refusing to get up). A new day was beginning, but to me, everything felt like it was over. Doc was gone. Not only was he gone, he was never coming back. I think that hurt more than anything.

He was never coming back... He was never coming back. He'd left. He was gone. And he was never coming back. I couldn't believe it. It all felt just too big to be real. I didn't really know what to do. I just sat there and tried to ignore the pain that was building up inside of me whenever I thought about Doc and the fact that he was never coming back.

"Fudgie?" I heard a familiar voice call out once I'd been out there on my own for about ten minutes.

I remained silent as Luigi parked beside me. I didn't even look at him.

"I know this is hard for you", he began gently. "This is hard for all of us. But you are not alone, okay? We will get through this. Together."

I still didn't answer. I wasn't convinced.

Luigi sighed. "We should go back to town."

I just gave him an odd look. I didn't _want_ to go back to town. That meant I would have to go back to everything that was going on and I would have to start believing that Doc was really gone. And I really didn't want to do that. I knew Radiator Springs was never going to be the same again.

"I don't want you out here on your own", Luigi informed me, seeing the look on my face. "You can get dehydrated."

 _Who cares?_ I thought, still not moving.

Another sigh came from Luigi as he nudged me to my feet. "Let's go."

Like I said, I _really_ didn't want to go, but Luigi wasn't going to leave me there, so I had no choice but to get up on my feet and sit down on Luigi's hood as he drove me back to town. I was right. When we arrived there, not only did it feel empty, but unfamiliar too. It was as if nothing was the way it used to be.

* * *

To me, the rest of the day was a blur. I joined the others in sitting around at Flo's where they had all gathered to mourn. Nobody said anything and the only noise was most of my family crying, Still, I remained dry-eyed. And silent. I also remained silent and dry-eyed when, after our feeble attempt to eat lunch, we (and by _we_ , I mean _they_ ) decided to get started on funeral preparations. I personally felt like it was too soon for that. I mean, I hadn't even absorbed the shock yet and now, everyone was onto the next phase.

"When are we gonna make this public?" Flo wondered. "His fans will need to know."

"Give it... Give it a couple of days", Lightning replied, barely able to find his voice. Once again, he looked worse than I felt. He'd spent the entire morning crying. I think he was feeling lost too. After all, Doc wasn't just a mentor to him; I knew Lightning thought of Doc as the father he never had. "I don't want the fans to know just yet."

Everyone nodded understandingly. Everyone except me, that is.

So, I just sat there under my own little storm cloud as the others discussed the details for the funeral. The only thing I really paid any attention to was that it was going to be held on Wednesday. Every now and then, someone would ask me for my opinion about something. I would just shrug in reply. I didn't really care, to be honest. I didn't care about honouring Doc. All I wanted was for him to come back and forget about the fact that he'd just left all of us. _Left_. The word hurt so much.

Oh, God! I knew why that word hurt so much. I was no stranger to it. Doc knew that. Not only did he know, but I thought he _understood_! Didn't he _care_? Apparently not. Despite the pain growing worse and how awful I felt about it, I still couldn't cry.

"Fudge?"

I turned to look at Luigi at the sound of my name.

"I said, 'Are you okay?'"

My only response was a shrug. Luigi sighed and tried to pull me in for a hug. I jerked away from him.

That was the kind of thing I was doing all day until I decided to get up to head back home. When I did, I could hear my family talking about me.

"I think we just need to give her time", Sarge voiced his opinion. "This isn't easy for her."

"This ain't easy for any of us", Ramone pointed out, still sniffling.

"Fudge is ten", Sheriff reminded him. "She's never had to deal with this kind of thing before. And she and Doc were pretty close. This is gonna be especially hard for her."

I went to bed early that night; not because I was tired, but I just wanted to be alone. The first thing I saw when I entered my bedroom was Doc's face. His was amongst the several racing posters I had up on my bedroom wall. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. So, I took the poster down from my wall so roughly that I made several tears in it, but I didn't care. I just pushed it under my bed; I didn't want it there either, but I didn't know what else to do with it.

I wanted to just lie in my bed with my eyes closed and pretend that the whole day had been nothing but a bad dream. Although, I knew the latter was never going to happen. And it seemed like the former wasn't going to happen when Luigi followed me up to my room. He'd come in just in time to see me put the poster under my bed. He looked kind of surprised, but he chose not to say anything.

"It is going to get better", he insisted. "We will get through this."

You have no idea how badly I wanted to believe that, but I didn't. I couldn't.

"We can talk more tomorrow. You have had a long day", Luigi continued, sighing heavily. "We all have." He came over and gave me a kiss. This time, I let him. Reluctantly. "I love you, angel!"

Even though I hadn't exactly been talkative that day, I'm sure Luigi was, at the very least, expecting an, "I love you too." Yet he never got one. So, he just let out another sigh, gave me another kiss and rolled back. I wanted him to leave the room, but he never did. I'm guessing that was not only because he didn't want me to be alone, but because he didn't want _himself_ to be alone either.

Still, I rolled over onto my other side and tried to ignore him. Catching a glimpse of the night sky outside made the pain stronger. Had it really been just twenty-four measly hours ago when we'd been down by Willy's Butte, admiring the stars? It felt like such a long time ago. Well, in some ways, it did. It felt longer because my life had changed so drastically since then. Then, at the same time, it didn't feel like so long ago because while, they felt distant, the memories were still so vivid in my mind.

For a brief second, a shooting star streaked across the big black sky. I closed my eyes and made a wish. _I wish that this was all a bad dream and Doc will come back!_ That was stupid. I know it now and I knew it then. I don't think I believed it would work, but I really wanted to believe it. I _needed_ to believe it. I needed it to work.

Of course, it didn't work. However, when I woke up in the morning, I forgot about that awful day before. When I got up and put on my robe and slippers to go over to Flo's, I was thinking that Doc would already be there. It was only when I picked up on everyone's quiet and depressed demeanour and noticed the one empty space that the terrible truth came rushing back to me. Doc's gone. And he's never coming back.

 _This is it_ , I thought to myself as I glanced over at the empty space where Doc would usually be once again. This was how things were going to be from now on. There was always going to be that spot where Doc should be. For some reason, that made the pain I was feeling start to shift into anger.

Lightning must've been thinking the same things I was because he was the one who drew attention to it. "I don't think I'll ever be able to get used to it", he commented sadly.

"I don't think any of us will", Sally agreed.

* * *

Nearly all day was devoted to funeral plans again (that reminds me; I don't know where Doc's body was between then and when we buried it, but as long as it wasn't there for me to look at- or to use as a bed- I didn't really care). Again, I didn't say anything. I just sat there, feeling miserable and angry. My family still tried to include me in the arrangements, but I was trying to make it clear that I didn't want any part of it. I just wanted Doc to come back.

"Fudge?" This time, it was Sally calling me.

I didn't even look at her, which, instead of making her leave me alone, just made the Porsche park right in front of me and take my hand.

"Sweetie? We really want your opinion on some of these things. We know Doc was important to you too."

Maybe, but from the looks of things, I wasn't important to him. None of us were.

"Come on", Sally insisted gently. "I know you're upset. We all are... Do you wanna talk about it?"

I shook my head. I didn't want to talk. I just wanted to forget. Besides, what _was_ there to talk about? Doc was gone. That was all there was to it.

"Just let it go, Sally", Sheriff instructed her. "The funeral's in four days and we have a lot to do between now and then. If Fudge wants to say anything, she will."

Sally sighed. "Okay. If you wanna talk, we'll all be here." She kissed me and got back to work.

Later on, when everyone thought I was out of earshot, I could hear them talking about me again. They never used my name, but it was no mystery.

"She has not said a word in two days", Luigi commented. "I am getting worried about her."

"She really ought to talk about it", Sarge agreed.

"She _will_ ", Sally assured them. "She's just not ready for it right now."

"We need to let her know we are all here for her", Luigi voiced his opinion.

"From the looks of it, she wants to shut us out", Sheriff chimed in. "I think she's only here because she feels she has to be."

"Right, but we are not going anywhere", Luigi affirmed. "She can try to push us away as much as she wants, but we will not go."

"Absolutely", came the chorus of agreements.

Great! They were going to keep pestering me! Why didn't they understand that I just wanted to be left alone?

* * *

There's no way to describe the next couple of days without repeating myself. I behaved the same way on Monday and Tuesday as I did on Saturday and Sunday. All you really need to know is that on those two days, more guests who'd been invited to the funeral showed up. Those included a lot of members of the racing community, who actually knew Doc such as the Weathers family, Tex, some of Lightning's other racing buddies, Mack and Rusty and Dusty amongst others. (I was relieved to no end that my family had made the unanimous decision to make the funeral private. I didn't want the place overrun with fans who didn't really _know_ Doc.) When the guests approached me to offer their condolences and ask how I was going, I subjected them to the same standoffish behaviour I gave my family. I guess the only other thing you need to know is that for some reason, I got these really bad stomach aches for the first couple of weeks after Doc's death, the worst stomach aches I'd ever experienced! I felt like I ought to see a doctor, but I didn't want to. _Doc_ was my doctor! My family tried to sympathise, knowing that I was going through a lot of physical and emotional pain, but I continued to shut them out.

So, now that you know all that, why don't I just skip ahead to Wednesday, the day of the funeral?

 **I really hope I got the emotions right here, but I don't think that's likely. Please review in any case!**


	14. P3: Goodbye, Doc Forever

**I feel like this is kind of overdue, but here is the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 6- Goodbye, Doc... Forever**

"Fudge! Are you still in bed?! You _are_! I can't believe this! You _know_ we have a lot of work to do this morning!"

I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut. Going to the funeral was the _last_ thing I wanted to do. Not only did I not want to remember Doc, but I really didn't feel like being around a lot of people. On top of that, Luigi was clearly irritated, which did nothing to make me feel better.

As if on cue, my father stormed into the room and yanked off my bedsheets. "Get up!" he ordered. "You still need your hair brushing and you need to get dressed! Why did you not get up an hour ago like I told you to?!"

As grumpy as I was, Luigi can be quite scary when he's angry, despite his size. A lot of the time, I'd be grateful that he doesn't get angry at me very often. This time, however, I just did what he said and got up. I wanted to tell him I wasn't going and that I was staying at home, but the words wouldn't come. Besides, I doubt Luigi would've let me. I had no choice but to go to the funeral.

As I got dressed after I'd bathed, all I could think about was how my outfit reminded me of Doc. It was a simple black jacket and equally simple cobalt blue dress, the exact same shade as Doc's paint job, with black flats. I know that my dress colour wasn't a coincidence, but it still made me feel bad. Don't you just hate it when the one thing you _don't_ want to think about is the only thing you _can_ think about?

"Hey", everyone greeted us softly when we arrived Flo's. We were the last Radiator Springs residents there. I noticed that I wasn't the only one wearing the same shade as Doc. Ramone had painted himself cobalt blue. Plus, all of my family either had the colour somewhere on them or were sporting some sort of accessory that colour like a hat or hubcaps.

My family hugged and kissed me. I let them, but I didn't return the affection.

"How you feeling, sweetie?" most of them asked me, only to be met with silence.

"She needs more time", I heard Luigi whisper to the others as if I wasn't standing right there.

Sally had nodded along with everyone else and I heard her add, "I'm sure she'll have some closure after today."

"I think we all will", Lightning agreed.

Closure? What did that mean? I had no idea.

* * *

We were all sat there in silence before someone- I don't remember who- announced that it was time to go. The first thing we were going to do was go over to the casket one at a time and each say our final words to Doc. What was the point of that? Doc wouldn't be able to hear them. Still, the others wanted to do it and the time had come. So, we went, each movement slow and solemn. I, at the back of the line, couldn't believe this was it. This was really happening. Doc was going into the ground today.

The casket was located in Doc's garage. I'm not sure if it had been there the whole time, but I wasn't sure if I cared either. Everyone took turns going in there to be alone with Doc one last time. Lightning had requested that he went last. I don't remember what number I was, but I do remember I was towards the end. Sally had just come out of the garage with tears streaming down her hood.

"Fudgie?" Luigi prompted from behind me. "Do you want to go in and say goodbye?"

I hesitated.

"It's okay, sweetie", Sally assured me. "You can't see him. He's in the casket."

Without a word, I made my way inside nervously, surprising everyone. They probably thought I would refuse.

Honestly, looking back, I don't really know what I was expecting. I was relieved to find that Sally was right. I couldn't see Doc at all. Just a honey-coloured casket. Still, it freaked me out to know he was in there. I walked around the room, studying the casket from every possible angle, not at all certain why I was doing that. Did I really _want_ to say goodbye? That would be torture. Then again, Doc had just left me. He didn't really care about me... Did he?

" _It's gonna be okay_ ", Doc's voice came crashing back into my mind, " _because I'll always be_ _with you. You know that, right? I ain't ever gonna leave you._ "

He _promised_ he would always be there! So, why wasn't he here now? He _lied_ to me!

Remember how I said this was a hard part for me to write? Well, that wasn't just because Doc's death hit me hard. Although, that _is_ true. The other reason is, since I was so angry, I did some things I'm really not proud of. It was there in Doc's garage, staring at the casket I did the first one. I kicked the casket as hard as I could. It wasn't very hard, though. I was wearing a dress and flats and I'm not very strong to begin with. Still, it was hard enough to cause me to wince in pain. It was all I could do to prevent myself from crying out.

I regretted my action right away. The only reason for _that_ was because I had no idea what happened to people after they died. I was worried Doc was going to haunt me after that. So, I figured it would be for the best if I just went...

Only I couldn't! As I tried to open the door, it wouldn't open! I was _stuck_! The door hadn't locked on anybody else! Oh, God! Was this it? Was Doc haunting me? You might think that was overly dramatic of me, but _you'd_ probably be panicking too if you were in my shoes. All I could do was bang on the door, hoping my family would hear me.

Luckily, they did very easily. Luigi opened the door with ease.

"Are you okay?" he quizzed me when he did.

I didn't answer. Not only was I still angry at Doc, but I was creeped out too now.

"What happened to the door?" Mater wondered.

I shrugged, wondering the same thing. Well, I _thought_ I knew, but I was hoping I was wrong.

"The door was working fine for me", Luigi informed me, puzzled. "I have no idea why you could not do it."

Me neither.

Nobody questioned it any further because several more of us had to go in and say goodbye to Doc. My little incident with the door was long forgotten by the time Lightning, the last one, was finished. By everyone except me, that is.

"We, uh... We better get going now", Lightning announced quietly.

He drove off and the rest of us had no choice but to follow.

"Are you okay?" Luigi whispered to me at one point. "Fudge, are you _limping_?!"

Now, _everyone_ was looking at me. I tried to act a little more natural. No way was I talking about what had happened in the garage. No way was I talking _at all_ , for that matter.

* * *

The next part was the burial. The other Radiator Springs residents and I joined the other guests where we would be burying Doc. It took ages to debate where that would be. We wanted it to be close to Willy's Butte because that was Doc's favourite place, but at the same time, we didn't want it in the public eyes. We wanted to keep Doc's grave as private as the funeral, again to keep it from being overrun with fans who didn't understand.

There's not really an awful lot to say about that part. I mean, I told you it was the burial part of the funeral; I feel like it's pretty self-explanatory. I remember just standing there, watching as the casket was being placed into the ground. All I could think was, _Doc's_ in _there. They're putting him into the ground!_ That's when it hit me that this was real and that I was never going to see Doc again. Of course, I already knew all that, but that was the wakeup call. Once again, my family and bunch of others shed tears, but I wasn't ready to do that. I stood there with my head lowered like I'd seen people do at funerals in movies. If anybody said anything, I didn't pay even the slightest bit of attention.

During this part, I was stood between Guido and Sarge. I remember as we started driving- or walking in my case- towards the Wheel Well Motel where the memorial service and reception would be held, Guido reached out to take my hand. As I'd done a lot in the past couple of days whenever someone tried to touch me, I jerked away from him. Guido gave me a sad look with tears in his eyes, but said nothing. He didn't look surprised either.

Needless to say, my family was pretty worried about me during this time. A couple of times, I made them mad too, but that wasn't always my fault. Like on that journey to the Wheel Well. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Luigi clutching a bunch of small pieces of yellow lined paper.

"What are those for?" I whispered to him, leaning over Guido, so he could hear me.

Luigi looked surprised, that I'm sure of. However, I don't know what surprised him more, my question or the fact that I'd spoken at all. That was the first time I'd spoken since Saturday morning when Doc had died.

"This is my speech", he explained. I must've looked blank because he added, "For the service. We all agreed we would say something for the service. Do you not remember?"

I did not. I hadn't even known I was supposed to write something. Probably because I hadn't listened to any of the funeral arrangements.

Sarge had overheard Luigi and groaned. "Don't tell me you don't even have a speech prepared, Fudge!"

I did not. So, I didn't answer. Luigi and Sarge shook their hoods, leaving me to keep walking quietly, feeling really bad about myself. Even if I _had_ known, I doubt I would've been able to prepare something anyway when talking was the one thing I _really_ didn't feel like doing. Well, that and thinking about Doc.

* * *

 _Okay_ , I thought to myself as I sat down in the one chair at the front of the room when we arrived at the Wheel Well (I was the only human at the funeral), _just one more_ _part of this stupid funeral to go and then I can go home and stop thinking about it_. However, I knew that this was going to be the hardest part of the funeral. At the front of the room, there was a massive photo of Doc. Looking around, I noticed that there were more all around the room. Everywhere I looked, I felt like he was staring at me. Doc was all we were going to talk about. I wanted to leave, but I had no choice but to stay, which I did, scowling.

Luigi nudged me. "Eyes up the front, Fudge", he whispered.

I shot him a dirty look, which failed to escape his attention, but I did as I was told.

Like Luigi said, all of my family took turns to go up to the head of the room and speak about Doc. They were all pretty much the same. All of them were talking about their favourite memories of Doc and how caring he was towards Radiator Springs and oh, how much we were going to miss him. Even Lizzie seemed to be with it, if you know what I mean, and went on and on about how great Doc is. _Was_ , I mean.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and make faces the whole way through. Was I the only one who remembered that Doc had _left_ us? I mean, there we were at his frickin' funeral and somehow, everyone else seemed to have forgotten that Doc was gone and he was never coming back. And they had the nerve to say that he cared about us! They were all crying because they were going to miss him so much. Red wouldn't stop bawling. Flo and Sally were weeping quietly. Sarge and Sheriff kept sniffling. Next to me, my fathers were sobbing, All I could do was roll my eyes and make faces. Luigi saw me making faces when he was up there doing _his_ speech and it was his turn to give _me_ a dirty look. It didn't stop me from continuing, though.

"Fudge?" Lightning urged me when everyone besides me and him had gone up. He probably wanted to be last again.

"She has nothing prepared", Luigi informed him, sounding kind of... insulted.

Everyone else gave me hard looks as well. They all seemed so mad and disappointed. It was as if I'd let them all down or something. Well, looking back, I guess I had.

"Fudge, we said we were all going to say something today!" Lightning reminded me. Unlike most of the others, he seemed understanding while still disappointed. I guess that's because he, too, was really close to Doc and knew it might be hard for me to talk about it.

"Well, I'm sorry for ruining the funeral!" I snapped sarcastically, the words shocking myself just as much as anybody else.

"Fudge-" Luigi began sternly.

"You can still talk if you want to, Fudge", Sally suggested calmly. "Do you have any memories of Doc you wanna talk about?"

" **NO!** " I shouted as loud as I could, jumping to my feet. Now, _everyone_ was staring at me, astonished by my outburst. Obviously, I've been angry at them before, but I've _never_ blown up at _anybody_ like that. "I'm here because I _have_ to be, not because I _want_ to be! I don't want to talk about Doc, I just want to be left alone! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Brittney Rossi-Topolino!" Luigi gasped. "Don't you _ever_ talk to anyone like that!"

"None of us _want_ to be here, Brittney!" Sarge pointed out, launching into one of his loud, furious rants, which always scared me so much. " **DOC DID SO MUCH FOR YOU- FOR _ALL_ OF US!** **IN FACT, YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN BE _ALIVE_ IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM! THE VERY LEAST YOU** **CAN DO IS SHOW SOME RESPECT! BUT THAT SEEMS LIKE TOO MUCH TO ASK OF YOU!** "

Any other time, Sarge yelling at me like that would've brought tears to my eyes, but not this time. I just stuck out my lower lip.

There was a _very long_ moment of silence (well, maybe it wasn't _that_ long, but it felt long to me) before Luigi sighed. "Sit down, Brittney", he ordered me in a low voice. "We will talk more when we get home."

Like I've said before, Doc's death and the fact that I felt abandoned by him reminded me of another time I felt abandoned by someone I thought was supposed to love me. I think that's where my next words to Luigi came from. Even so, I was once again just as shocked by what I was saying as everyone else when I yelled at Luigi, "Why should I listen to _you_?! You're not my _real_ dad!"

I don't think Luigi could've been more stunned if I'd slapped him. For a brief moment, I was afraid of what he was going to say to me. In fact, I thought he was going to hit me, which scared me even more, considering that he'd never done that before. Finally, he repeated, "I _said_ sit down!", sounding even angrier than before and kind of hurt.

"And unless it's an apology, we don't wanna hear another word out of you", Sheriff added sternly.

So, I sat quietly. I knew my family were _really_ mad at me if they called me Brittney instead of Fudge. Well, I'd been called by my real name three times, so things weren't good at all for me. I was ashamed of my actions, but I wasn't going to apologise. I was still furious at Doc. I was also uncomfortable because everyone was just staring at me in disbelief. Plus, I swear I could feel Doc staring at me too. He was a master of silently judging, so I was sure he had more of a reason to haunt me now. (I'd been trying to convince myself that the whole thing with the garage door was just a coincidence, but I wasn't sure.) For a long time, nobody said anything.

Thank Chrysler Lightning finally made his way up to the front of the room.

"Sorry about that", he began awkwardly, speaking into the microphone. He cast me a look of sympathy. "Why, uh, why don't we get back to the service?"

As much as I wanted to get out of there, at least getting back to the service would take the attention off me.

Lightning cleared his throat and began his speech.

"My friends in Radiator Springs know this", he began, his voice tight, "but to everyone else, it may be a surprise that Doc and I didn't get along very well when we first met. I thought he was just a crazy grandpa car."

Scattered weak laughter broke out.

"I didn't realise he was the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and when I did, boy was I shocked. All of a sudden, I changed my mind about him. I didn't think he was a crazy grandpa car. I started to respect him because he was such a great racer. Of course, it wasn't until he showed up to that tiebreaker race to be my crew chief, even though we hadn't been nice to each other at all, that I changed my mind about him _again_. I started to respect him as a person."

He stopped, blinking back tears as he tried to continue his speech.

"From that day on", the stock car went on, trying to steady his voice, but it continued to tremble, "Doc has been an incredible mentor to me, both on and off the track. I'll never forget the valuable lessons he's taught me over the past few years." After a pause, he added, casting a small smile over at me, "And I hope one day to pass those lessons on to my little sister and aspiring racer, Fudge Rossi-Topolino, who has spent many hours racing with me and Doc. I'm sure she cherishes those memories as much as I do."

Either one of two things was going on there. Either Lightning was trying to make me feel a little better about myself or since it looked to the others like I didn't care enough to prepare a speech of my own, he was just putting words in my mouth. What he was saying _was_ true, but I couldn't think about that just yet. Based on the looks on everyone else's faces, they all seemed to think it was inappropriate that Lightning had brought my name up after my outburst. I sighed.

Lightning went on for a while, also talking about the lessons and memories he has from Doc as well as (sigh) how much Doc cared about the town and how much we were all going to miss him, crying a little as he did so. When he was done, I stood silently as everyone else began to shuffle around. My family and I stood in a line as people came up to us to offer their condolences. Nobody said anything to me. They'd give each individual member of my family a remark like, "I'm sorry for your loss", to which they would respond with a thank you. Then, when they got to me, they would just stare at me for a second as if they were trying to work me out or something, but then, they would just look back over at the adults and repeat their condolences. In fact, apart from to make sure I was still with them, my family weren't looking at me either. It was funny. I'd wanted everyone to leave me alone, but now that I was being ignored for my behaviour, I wanted some sympathy.

* * *

The reception couldn't come fast enough. Even though I felt obliged to stay, at least I wasn't expected to do anything else. Everyone drove around, talking; talking about Doc and how atrociously I'd acted most likely. Nobody paid any attention to me, so I just sat by the window, staring out at the valley below, feeling sorry for myself. I kind of wished someone would come over and talk to me, yet for a long time, nobody did. However, after an hour crawled by, I heard the sound of an engine drawing closer, closer than any engine had come to me since the reception started. I didn't even need to look to know who it was.

"Hey", they greeted me softly.

I turned to look at Lightning. He had a plate of food with him.

"I got this for you", he informed me, placing the plate down in front of me.

I didn't answer. Now that I'd made everyone mad at me, I'd reverted to my silent ways, sitting there under my own little storm cloud.

I thought this was going to be an opening for him to start chewing me out. After all, Lightning was the closest to Doc, so it made sense that he would be the most upset. However, Lightning didn't do that. He just sighed and spoke to me gently. "I know this is hard for you. I miss him too."

I stared at him, but still said nothing.

"Things are gonna be different, aren't they? We're not gonna have a doctor anymore, I'm not gonna have a crew chief at races. Of course, no one could ever replace Doc. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now, to be honest with you."

"Yeah", I agreed halfheartedly.

I knew what Lightning was doing. He was trying to let me know that he understood how I was feeling. He did in a way. I _had_ been thinking about how nobody would ever replace Doc and how much I missed him, but that seemed to make Lightning... well, sad, for a lack of a better word. He didn't seem angry about it like I was.

"Look, Fudge", he cut to the chase, "I think it would be good for you to talk to someone about what you're going through. If you don't wanna talk right now, that's fine. I won't make you, but when you're ready, I'll listen if you want me to, all right? We all will."

After a long pause, I told him, "I'll think about it."

He gave me a soft smile. "Well, I guess that's something."

Lightning hesitated for a moment, but then he reached out slowly and gave me a hug. I leaned into the hug, but I didn't hug him back. I just didn't feel ready to do that. I wasn't sure if he understood exactly what I was feeling, but at least he was trying and he seemed to understand better than others. At that moment, Sally and Mater called out to Lightning, so he gave me a kiss and went off to join them, leaving me alone once again.

* * *

At first, I'd been relieved when the reception was over. I just wanted to go to bed and forget everything. Ever since Doc had died, that had become my favourite pass time. Of course, that wasn't happening, thanks to my fathers. First of all, they'd been sleeping with me every night since Saturday night. Second of all, Luigi hadn't been kidding when he said we were going to talk after the funeral.

He and Guido came into my room at about nine o'clock after I'd been lying in bed for about an hour, unable to sleep, and he had a folded-up piece of paper with him.

"This was in Doc's garage", the Fiat informed me quietly, handing the paper to me. "I think you should have it."

I unfolded the paper to see that it was a photo of me and Doc. It was taken nearly a week ago when Doc had taken me to the racetrack. I knew he'd asked someone to take a picture of just me and him on his camera, but I had no idea he'd gotten it developed. I gazed at the photo for a few seconds before I scrunched it up into a little ball and threw it on the floor.

Luigi groaned. "Fudge, I know these past few days have been hard on you, but that is no excuse for this disrespect! Your behaviour today has been unacceptable! You did not even do the only thing you were asked to do for the funeral." He sighed and spoke again, sounding slightly more sympathetic. "Fudge, if you don't talk to me about this, then I can't help you."

For the love of Chrysler, why didn't _anybody_ get that I wanted to be left alone? Did anybody even know what that word _meant_ anymore?

"You can't help me anyway! Nobody can! Doc's _dead_! That's it! Just go away!"

Guido and Luigi moved as far away to my shelves and the two of them started gathering up all of my racing toys and figures.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded.

"You are not getting these back until you apologise to us and everyone else who was at the funeral!" Luigi replied.

I leapt out of bed. "That's not _fair_!" I protested.

"Get back to bed!" Luigi ordered me. "You said you wanted us to go away, so we are going! We are just taking your things with us!"

They rolled out of my room and I slammed the door as hard as I could. Of course, I got told off for _that_ as well. Down the hall, I could hear Luigi and Guido putting all of my stuff in a safe where they kept valuables and anything they'd confiscated from me and locking it. I felt terrible. I almost felt like crying. Almost.

What a day! I tumbled into bed, both physically and mentally exhausted. I remembered hearing the others talking at the reception earlier and they'd said now that the funeral was over, we could finally begin to move on from this tragic time. However, as I remembered Doc, remembered how much he'd cared for the town and remembered how he'd left us all behind, I didn't think we could ever move on. At least, _I_ couldn't.

 **Now, I've never actually been to a funeral before, so I have no idea what it's actually like going to one. Still, I figured it wouldn't matter since the RS gang seem to do things differently in their small town. I hope you liked it anyway. Please review.**


	15. P3: The Talk

**Chapter 7- The Talk**

Sally was right. The funeral brought everyone closure (I didn't know what that meant at the time, but I do now) and they all seemed to carry on with their lives almost as if nothing had happened; once again, everyone except me, that was. In fact, on the night of the funeral, things seemed to grow worse for me. How? Okay. I guess there's something you should know about me. You already know being abandoned has really affected me (I don't think I would've reacted to Doc's death the way I did if it hadn't), but I started having nightmares when I found out about it. Now, whenever I find myself going through a difficult time, I find myself having nightmares.

That's exactly what happened when I was finally able to sleep after the funeral. I don't remember all of the details of the nightmare. All I remember is that it involved Doc and I woke up lying in a pool of my own sweat and screaming bloody murder. As I sat up and tried to slow my heavy breathing down, I glanced at the clock: 2:26. Normally, I'd cry, but nothing seemed to make me cry these days. Any second now, Luigi and Guido would come into my room and comfort me. They must've heard my screams. However, I watched the clock for about two minutes and that's when I realised they weren't coming. I can't say that I didn't deserve it, though. I was just gonna have to get myself back to sleep.

I was thirsty, anyway, so I got up and went down to the kitchen. When I returned, I saw an unusual shape on my bedside table. Well, not unusual. It just looked so much like... It couldn't be. Luigi and Guido had confiscated my Fabulous Hudson Hornet figure. Slowly and tentatively, I switched the light on...

I screamed. My Fabulous Hudson Hornet figure was right there on my bedside table! How did it get there if Luigi locked it in the safe? I thought I might know: Doc was haunting me. I screamed again and I may have been overreacting just a little bit, but I threw the figure out the window.

"Fudge!" I heard Luigi call from the next room. "Go to sleep!"

Yeah, right! _You_ try sleeping after that, Luigi! Still, I flopped back onto the bed and tried to sleep with the light on. _That_ didn't turn out so well. For one thing, it was far too bright. For another, Luigi complained that it was too bright as well, so I had to turn the light off. I lay there in the darkness, my heart pounding.

* * *

A couple of weeks went by. By then, Doc had been dead for about a month. I was silent and sombre during the day and screaming through the night. Guido and Luigi never came to comfort me. I knew why, though.

"Fudge has been having nightmares", I heard Luigi explain to everyone.

"How are you dealin' with that?" Sheriff wondered.

"We are just ignoring her. She said she wants to be alone, so we are leaving her alone."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sally voiced her opinion. "I mean, she needs to know we're all here for her."

"She will find out when she is ready", Luigi insisted. "And when she apologises."

Of course, I didn't do that. I didn't say a _word_ until the one-month mark. That's when we were all gathered at Flo's, trying to eat lunch. All of us were silent until Lightning cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention.

"You know", he began quietly, "I... I was thinking... Doc's not going to be using his clinic now. Obviously", he added. He continued after some brief hesitation. "So, I... I thought we could turn it into a museum dedicated to him. After all, he was one of the greatest racers of all time. I'm sure people would love to see something like that." He grinned. "And I don't think we're ever gonna find a better place to put it."

Everyone besides me instantly started gushing over what a great idea that was and were chattering away about everything we could include in the museum. When they began talking about how much Doc would've loved it, that's when I uttered my first words in weeks.

"Can we _please_ talk about _anything_ else?!" I groaned.

They all turned to stare at me.

"Fudge", Luigi warned me. "Let's not do this again."

"I'm not doing anything!" I argued. "I just don't want to talk about Doc anymore!"

"Well, I think we should", Sarge responded quietly. His voice was quiet, but he sounded angry.

"Yes", Luigi agreed. "Fudge, you have been moody and very rude ever since Doc died. We all want you to talk to us."

"I've _told_ you there's nothing to _talk_ about! Doc's _dead_! That's it! What, did you expect me to be _happy_ that he died?!"

"No, but we didn't expect you to be angry either", Sally answered. "Sweetie, we're all worried about you!"

"Well, I seem to be the only one who-" I began, jumping to my feet. However, I forgot about the full glass of orange juice by my feet. I knocked it over, shattering the glass and allowing the juice to spill all over the ground.

"Oh, _Fudge_!" Flo groaned.

" **SHUT UP!** " I exploded. " **JUST _SHUT UP_!**"

" **BRITTNEY!** " Luigi yelled.

"Just leave me alone!" I spun on my heel and ran home, up to my room, slamming the door as hard as I could.

I flopped on my bed, waiting for the moment when Luigi would storm into the room and start yelling at me again. But he never did. So, I just stayed in my room for the rest of the day. I didn't return to Flo's for dinner, but that evening, there was some knocking at my bedroom door.

"Fudge?" It was Flo. "I got your dinner here for you, honey. You must be hungry."

My only response was to rise from my bed and lock the door.

"Don't be like that, honey!" Flo called. She paused for a moment before sighing. "All right. I'll just leave it here for you, Fudge." I heard her put the plate down and drive off.

I didn't open the door to grab the plate. I just returned to my bed where I later had a _lot_ of trouble falling asleep.

* * *

I didn't come out of my room for breakfast either. I just stayed in my room where I had my third suspicious incident.

"Fudge!" I heard that familiar gravelly voice call my name.

I looked around, still not fully awake. Was that really Doc? It couldn't be...

"Fudge!"

There it was again! Where was that coming from? I'd thrown my Doc figure out the window and screwed up the photo. Then there was the poster, which was also under my-

Hesitantly, I peered under my bed, crawling under it. It was so dark I needed my flashlight. The light landed on the poster of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. He was just staring at me for a moment before I started to slide back out from under the bed. My flashlight shifted when I did for just a second and I swear to God, when I moved it back, Doc's eyes had _moved_! I screamed as loud as I could, but I didn't throw the poster out the window. I didn't know _what_ to do. I couldn't tell my fathers because they were still mad at me. Besides, I doubted they'd believe me anyway. I didn't want to stay in my room with the poster, but I didn't want to leave and have to face everyone either.

After trying and failing to calm down, I just threw some clothes on and ran. Ran out the front entrance of Casa Della Tires. I could hear my family talking and laughing back at Flo's, but I knew I wasn't welcome there anymore. Ran past the firehouse. Ran through the desert surrounding the town. I wanted to be somewhere where I could just forget about Doc. However, I couldn't really find anywhere.

As had been the case the day Doc died, my legs kept moving and my brain was too preoccupied to protest. I just keep going and going until finally my legs grew tired. To my disappointment, that happened at Willy's Butte. That was one of the places that reminded me of Doc the most. All of those memories of racing down on that dirt track felt so distant, so far away. _Like Doc himself_ , I thought to myself bitterly, kicking a stone on the ground.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the grave. Flowers lay on the ground and there was a stone sticking out. I refused to read the words on the stone. It would hurt too much. I _did_ have _one_ idea of something I _could_ do, though. Slowly, I picked up the stone that lay by my feet. My fingers itched. Was I really going to do this? I was so angry still, but the only thing that was stopping me was the fear of being haunted even more. Doc was haunting me, I was sure of it. Still, he just _left_ us! I aimed at the stone with Doc's name written on it.

Before I could hit it, I was distracted by a flash of silver in the distance. It was followed by a low rumble. A storm was coming. For a brief moment, I panicked, but it left as suddenly as it arrived. Who cared? I didn't really care about anything anymore. All I cared about was the fact that someone who was supposed to love me had _abandoned_ me!

As a compromise, I threw the stone, but I didn't aim at the grave. I threw it as far as I could. Then I threw another. And another. Before long, I ran out of stones, so I had to run off to find some more. For a while, I ignored the rain that was beating down on me, but it got too heavy eventually. I was gonna have to head back to town, so I could hide out in my room and change my clothes. I could just avoid everyone from there.

The rain was coming down pretty hard by then. Lightning and thunder flashed and crashed every few seconds. The wind was howling, making it even colder. Now, let me tell you something: if you grew up in the desert like I did, you would _hate_ the cold weather as much as I do. If I'd known it was going to be like this, I wouldn't have worn shorts and a T-shirt. I really wanted to get home.

The only problem was that the ground was beginning to flood. It was already up to my ankles and climbing rapidly. Wait. Check that. That wasn't the only problem. The only way I could really get back to town was by climbing this big hill. Well, actually, it was more like a cliff. Going around it would've taken too long. Plus, with the flooding, I'd feel a little better if I made it to higher ground.

God! I wish I'd thought this through. I was so exhausted and climbing the cliff was taking a lot out of me. It was taking me two minutes to take one step. Finally, I was up to the ledge, which I would have to pull myself up. By then, my arm was practically frozen solid. I reached out, trying to grab the edge of the cliff. Unfortunately, that was when my right foot slid on the uneven surface. I screamed once again as I fell down the cliff, rolling several times and scraping myself on rocks along the way. I felt like I was never going to come to a stop, but I did at the bottom of the cliff, partially submerged in the water. The last thing I remember seeing before it all went dark was a wall of headlights coming towards me.

* * *

"Fudge! Can you hear me, angel?"

I opened my eyes to bright lights. It took me a second to work out where I was, partly because my head was killing me and partly because my family was all gathered around, staring at me. (Great! I _still_ wanted to be _alone_!) When my eyes adjusted a little and I looked around, I could see that I was at the courthouse.

"Are you okay?" Luigi questioned worriedly.

"Yeah..." I responded uncertainly.

"Sit up, angel", Luigi instructed me gently as he pushed and Guido pulled me up.

Lightning had a blanket, which he wrapped around me. "Is that better?" he asked me.

I nodded, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. Not only was I still not ready to talk, but I was afraid I was going to get into trouble. Of course, Sarge was the one to scold me.

"What were you thinkin', Fudge?!" he demanded. "That was very dangerous! You could've gotten ki-"

He trailed off, realising he'd almost chosen the wrong choice of words.

Luckily, all Luigi did was give me a big hug and whisper gently, "Don't you ever scare us like that again!"

* * *

Things were quiet for a while before Luigi asked me, "What happened, Fudgie? What were you doing?"

"I just wanted to be alone", I responded, scowling.

"Fudge", Luigi began, sounding hurt. He looked like he wanted to keep talking, but decided against it.

"What are we all doing at the courthouse?" I wondered, eager to change the subject.

"Well, with this massive storm, we thought it would be a good idea to gather here where we're all safe", Sarge explained.

"But then we had to go out and look for you", Luigi added, kissing me. "We needed to make sure we were _all_ safe."

I began to feel guilty. So, I made an announcement softly. "I'm sorry. For everything."

They all turned to look at me.

"Fudgie, it is okay", Luigi assured me quietly. "We all know this has been hard for you. But there is one thing you can do for us now."

"What?" Based on the looks on everyone's faces, they were all thinking the same thing, but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Talk", Luigi replied.

"Talk?" I repeated.

"Yes", my father insisted "Fudgie, you have been very angry since Doc died and we all want to know why."

"You're not gonna feel any better till you do", Lightning chimed in.

"You can't keep this bottled up forever", Lizzie added, sounding logical for once.

"Yeah, we all love you, man." That was Fillmore.

"And we just want to help you get through this", Sally put in.

" _Please_ , Fudgie!" Luigi begged. "Let us help you!"

I'd been silent for so long I don't think my family had any problem with me being silent for a little while longer. I knew they were right; I was just trying to think of the right way to word the way I was feeling.

Finally, I just blurted out the only words that came to mind. " **I _HATE_ DOC!**"

My family probably weren't expecting that. " _What_?!" they all gasped.

"What are you talking about?" Luigi wanted to know.

I didn't answer. Instead, I just fell apart. After all this time, my tears started. I was bawling my eyes out and all of my family just stared at me. I didn't even bother wiping the tears away. I just let them pour down my cheeks.

"Fudge!" Luigi scooped me up on his hood. "Why do you hate Doc?"

"Because he left!" I answered. At least, that's what I _tried_ to say. It was hard to talk when I was crying harder than I could ever remember crying.

"What?" my family repeated, only this time, they sounded confused.

"Fudge, we can't understand a word you're saying", Lightning informed me.

"Because he _left_!" I repeated. "Just... just like my mom!"

I could see it click in everyone's minds. It was all making sense to them now. I even heard a couple of them let out a soft, " _Ohhh_!"

"Fudgie!" Luigi exclaimed sympathetically. "Do you really think Doc left you the way your mother did?"

I nodded.

"Oh, my baby! That is not true!"

"Doc loved you, sweetie!" Sally insisted. "He loved all of us!"

"Then why isn't he here?!" I demanded. "If he really loved us, then why did he have to go?!" I stopped talking because I was crying too hard to speak.

"Oh, Fudge!" Lightning came forward and took my hand. "It's okay. Hey. Look at me." I looked and I could see he had tears in his eyes. "I know how you feel. You know, when he first died, I felt like he'd abandoned us too. Remember? I told you I didn't know what I was gonna do because I don't have my crew chief, my mentor. My _friend_ ", he added. "But Doc was sick for quite a while. You know that, don't you?"

I shook my head. "He seemed _fine_!" I protested.

Guido stroked my hair as Luigi spoke gently. "He wasn't fine, Fudge. He just didn't want us to see how sick he really was. But we did. We all saw it."

" _I_ didn't!"

"I know, I know!"

My only response to that was, "My stomach hurts!"

So, Luigi rubbed my stomach.

* * *

I was starting to feel a little better already, but I still had one question. "If everyone knew this was gonna happen, then how come nobody told me?"

Everyone looked at me in confusion.

"I thought Doc _did_ ", Luigi informed me.

"Yeah, well, he _didn't_!" I sniffled bitterly.

"So, what _did_ you two get up to in the city all day?" Sarge wondered.

"He... He took me to the movies", I answered, struggling to get the words out. "He took me to a race... All the racers had riders! Then... then we came home. He told me some of his racing stories, but he _never_ said he was going to die! How come everyone knew, except me?"

There was a pause.

"I don't know why Doc didn't tell you, Fudgie", Luigi began quietly, "but I think you are forgetting the most important thing."

"What?"

"That was one of Doc's final days and he chose to spend it with _you_. Why would he do that if he didn't love you?"

I mulled over that for a little while. What Luigi was saying made sense. Even through my tears, I couldn't help smiling as I thought about that day along with the million other wonderful memories I had of Doc. Him taking care of me when I was sick, teaching me how to race, him balancing several things on his hood at once, making me laugh. And I didn't realise it until years later, but the reason Doc took me to the city that day was so I'd still have some good memories of him to hold on to. Luigi was right. Doc _did_ love me! I was an idiot to think that he didn't!

My smile faltered as I remembered something. "Maybe he _did_ love me, but he doesn't anymore!"

"Fudge-" Luigi began.

"Not after what I did!" I cut him off.

For the third time, I left my family puzzled, so I had to explain all of the horrible things I'd done, kicking the casket (I also mentioned my outburst at the funeral and my other one the day before, even though they already know about that) and the unusual activity that had happened afterwards.

"Doc's mad at me!" I wailed. "He... He's haunting me because of what I did!"

"I'm sure that's not true, Fudge", Flo assured me.

"Fudge, that figure did not come back into your room on its own", Luigi explained. "Guido and I felt bad, so we put that one back in your room."

Well, _that_ made sense.

"But what about the poster and the door?" I wondered.

Nobody could answer that one. Now that I think of it, the whole thing with the poster was probably just my imagination. I still don't have an explanation for the door, though.

"You're right about one thing, though", Sally broke a brief silence. "Doc _is_ watching over all of us. He wants to take care of us."

I sniffled. "Really?"

"Yeah", Lightning confirmed. "You've never felt him nearby?"

I hadn't; apart from the three aforementioned incidents, but I didn't think those counted. "No..."

"I'm sure you will soon", Luigi assured me. "Doc is always going to be there for you."

I wanted to believe him, but I didn't.

We talked about Doc for a little while longer while we weathered out the storm. Before long, not a single one of us was dry-eyed. Not even me. Then we all fell into one big group hug silently, apart from sobs and sniffles, of course. My family hugged me and, finally, I was able to hug them back.

* * *

In my mind, it was like one second we were in this massive hug. The next, I was at home getting into my pyjamas. That night, I felt a little better. It still hurt, knowing that he wasn't here and I still felt kind of abandoned. Plus, I missed him, obviously, but at least I knew Doc loved me. My family were right about the fact that talking would make me feel better. On top of that, it had felt good to cry too. There was just one thing left to do to help me feel a little bit better. I pulled out an unused exercise book and started writing my feelings down, just letting whatever words came to mind tumble onto the page. My family had suggested it because they knew I liked writing and the _Diary of_ _a Wimpy Kid_ books, so they thought keeping a journal would be a good way to express myself and deal with my emotions. So, I started writing as I listened to "I Try" by Macy Gray. And that works for me. It helped me deal with my emotions then and it's helped me deal with them a lot of times after that.

In fact, I felt so much better that night that I'd asked Luigi to grab my Fabulous Hudson Hornet figure from outside, which I would've done myself if Luigi had insisted that I went straight to bed after I put some warm, dry clothes on. I also reached under my bed and pulled out the poster and photo of me and Doc. I smoothed them each out put them both back on my bedroom wall where they belonged.

Then I crawled into bed once again. I stared out the window at the night sky once again. I still couldn't feel Doc's presence close by just yet, but that didn't mean I could give up looking for it.

 **I kind of figured it would make sense for Fudge to remember being abandoned by her mother and be angry at Doc for that reason when he died.**

 **Only one chapter of part three to go.** **Please please _please_ review!**


	16. P3: My Heart Will Go On

**Well, here we are! It's been a while and I haven't forgotten about this. It's the final chapter of _COTSLOF_ Part 3! By the way, I got the title from a music video my friend Agent Sandra Cartrip made.**

 **I hope you like it!**

 **Chapter 8- My Heart Will Go On**

"Okay", I heard a voice, which could only be one Lightning McQueen, whisper from inside the trailer. "Here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner. Forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast."

I couldn't help smiling. That wasn't the first time I'd heard Lightning say that. That was how psyched himself up for every race.

Do I need to tell you we were at one of Lightning's races? I don't think I do. What I probably _should_ tell you, though, is that this was Lightning's first race without Doc. Apart from before he met Doc, of course. I think he was nervous, but he tried to play it cool. As long as he remembered what Doc had taught him, he'd be fine, he insisted. I sure hoped so because, as selfish as this may sound, I didn't want him to get another crew chief. Nobody could ever replace Doc. From the sounds of things, Lightning felt the same way. At least, he wasn't exactly in a hurry to find another one.

* * *

Over the last couple of weeks, I'd still been feeling kind of down and had even more stomach aches, but started to feel better once we'd arrived at the speedway. Luigi insisted on having me apologise to everyone who had attended the funeral, so I had to find the Weathers family, Tex, the Rust-Eze brothers and a bunch of others. It had been difficult to apologise, but I felt better once it was over. They all accepted my apology and were sympathetic and understanding. I think they were relieved to see me acting like myself again. Not only that, but everyone was making an effort to be nice to me.

"Hey, Fudge!" Lightning had called out once all of my apologies were over. "I'm gonna take a couple of practise laps with Bobby, Cal, Brick and The King! Wanna come with us?"

I lit up like a Christmas tree. It was my first real smile since Doc died. "Yes please!"

"Go grab your stuff!" he had instructed me hurriedly. "Let's go!"

I had raced back to the trailer as quickly as I could to grab my magnets and helmet. As usual, I was overjoyed to be racing with Lightning. On that occasion, however, Lightning wasn't the only one who let me race with him. He, Bobby, Cal, Brick and The King all took turns letting me ride with them, much to my delight.

* * *

Now, as the race was about to start, I began to feel excited. I never thought I wouldn't be excited about a race without Doc there, but I was. I was determined to try my best to help my family and make Doc proud. I sure hoped I would and Lightning and his friends complimenting me on my racing skills convinced me that I would.

I laughed a little as I saw Mack pound on the door to the trailer. "Hey, Lightnin'! You ready?"

I couldn't hear his response, but I knew his pre-race ritual well enough to know what it was. "Oh, yeah! Lightning's ready!"

I remained amongst the crowd that had gathered to see Lightning exit his trailer. Even though he was my brother and I knew him better than most people, I was actually still excited to see him make his entrance. The press started snapping photos of him and calling out questions about Doc. I took that as my cue to head back to the pits with the others.

"Done!" I cried as I secured the last lug nut on the last tyre.

Lightning smiled proudly. "Good girl, Fudge-O!"

I moved over to Sarge and Fillmore. "How are you guys going with the fuel?" I wondered.

"Just finishin' up, man!" Fillmore reported.

"Okay!" I shouted.

"Great job, guys!" Lightning added.

"I think we're ready!"

"I think we are too!" our racer agreed, hugging me.

As usual, I refused to let Lightning set a tyre on the track without giving him a hug and a kiss, both of which he was all too happy to return.

"Wish me luck!" he called back to us as he made his way onto the track along with the forty-two other race cars.

"Good luck!" I hollered, bouncing a little on the balls of my feet.

The rest of the team echoed me.

It was really weird having an empty crew chief platform. It just didn't feel right. Still, we had a job to do, so we were gonna do it.

" **GO, LIGHTNING!** " I exclaimed as the racers started lining up on the track.

The green flag was waved and the race had begun. Lightning was off and away along with the forty-two other race cars.

* * *

To be honest with you, I wasn't sure how Lightning was going to go without Doc. After all, I'd been with him when he trained down at Willy's Butte. Sometimes, the absence of Doc and the fact that his grave was close by would inspire him and make him even more determined to push himself even further. Other times, he would break down in tears, missing Doc. However, during the race, he seemed to be doing very well. He seemed to know exactly what to do and when. Not only that, but he managed to keep his cool all throughout the race. I was proud of him. From the sounds of it, the fans and the announcers were impressed too.

" _Even without a crew chief, Lightning McQueen is proving that the Fabulous Hudson Hornet_ _has taught him well!_ " Bob Cutlass observed.

" _Guido! You ready with the tyres?_ " Lightning quizzed my father over the radio.

"Pit stop!" the forklift confirmed.

" _Fillmore, you got the fuel?_ "

"Right here, man!"

" _All right! I'm coming in!_ "

He made his way towards the pits. The rest of the team seemed to know what they were doing too. Guido changed his tyres at lightning speed while Fillmore loaded him up with fuel. Then he was on his way again.

"Go, Lightning!" I repeated as he raced away.

* * *

Lap after lap, Lightning climbed through the pack.

"Last lap!" I cried before long. "Come on, Lightning!"

By this point, he was in fourth place, so he had a little bit of work to do, but not much. I watched in amazement as he managed to shoot past the racer in third. A second later, I was watching in horror as Chick Hicks started making his way through the pack of racers. Chick still scared me and I was relieved that he was retiring at the end of this year. I could see that Lightning was joking with Bobby and Cal ahead of him. They were laughing and I was so glad to see that he didn't appear to be as broken over Doc's death as I still felt. He just looked as happy and confident as ever (I wish I had his confidence). Lightning remained behind Cal and Bobby for a couple more seconds, but then the right moment came. With one last burst of speed, Lightning blazed past both of them to claim the checkered flag!

" **YES!** " I shrieked with a massive leap. " **GO, LIGHTNING!** "

"Yeah, Stickers!" Sally cheered.

" _Bravo, il mio amico_!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Way to go, man!" Fillmore called out.

Lightning paused on the track with a soft smile on his face. Then he looked up into the sky and whispered something. I've never been good at reading lips, but I could still tell what he said: _This one's for you, Doc!_

I smiled too. For ages before the race, I'd wondered how we'd ever be able to do this without Doc. Well, not only did everything turn out fine, but we _hadn't_ done it without him. He'd been there every step of the way. None of us would've known what to do if it wasn't for him. He didn't just teach Lightning how to be a racer; he taught all of us how to be a real racing team. That was when, for the first time since his death, I felt Doc close by. I started to feel a lot better than I had in a _long_ time.

* * *

"I can't put into words how happy I am to have the honours to be opening the Doc Hudson Racing Museum", Lightning began. "Now, to be honest with you, Doc probably would've hated this!"

Several people in the crowd- pretty much the same group of people who attended the funeral- laughed. All I could manage was a small chuckle, only half-listening to his speech. I wasn't angry or upset like I was at the funeral. I was just distracted. I had an announcement I wanted to make, but, especially bearing my behaviour at the funeral in mind, I was trying to be very careful about how and when I decided to do it. At the same time, I didn't want to leave it too late. It was very important and I hoped everyone would appreciate what I did. I wasn't so sure, though. I wasn't sure if it was even that good.

"But I don't care", Lightning went on. "It felt right to do this for him. After all, he was not only one of the greatest Piston Cup racers of all time with an inspiring passion for racing, but he was the greatest mentor a racer could ask for. I am really excited for everyone to see this, to see who the Fabulous Hudson Hornet was both during and after his racing days. So..." Lightning produced a pair of scissors and rolled closer to the red ribbon in front of him. "Without further ado, I am proud to present to you-"

I'd left it too late, so, as embarrassing as it was, I hollered at the top of my lungs, " **WAIT!** "

Everyone turned to stare at me, probably thinking that I was ruining the opening ceremony like I ruined the funeral.

Lightning just rolled closer and took my hand, pulling me towards him up the front. "What is it, sweetie?"

"I... I made something for Doc", I gathered up my courage to announce. "It's not much, but I kind of wanted to show you now. If you wanna wait, that's fine. I just-"

"No, no, it's fine", Lightning cut me off. "We wanna see it, right, guys?"

"Of course we do!" came the collective response.

I opened up my backpack and started digging through. "Now, I know it's not great, but at least promise me none of you will laugh."

They all insisted that they would never do such a thing, so I pulled it out of my backpack. I had been working on it for weeks, making sure I finished it in time for the opening of the museum and it was perfect. I feel like I did one of the two.

Nervously, I held it up for everyone to see. "This... This is it."

 _It_ was a handmade book I'd created about Doc. I had written it myself and was the story of his life and his racing career based on what he'd told me (so, it probably wasn't the most accurate life story, but oh, well). The front cover was a sheet of cobalt blue paper with the words FABULOUS HUDSON HORNET blazing across the front in sparkly silver letters. Underneath that was the photo Luigi had given me of me and Doc and a picture of Doc racing that I had found on the Internet and printed out. Inside, I had written the story and included pictures (both hand drawn, even though I'm not the greatest artist in the world, and photos). The story included the beginning of his racing career; his 1954 crash; how he came to Radiator Springs; delivered me when my mom was pregnant (emphasising how much he cared for our town!); Lightning's arrival in town and how he became Lightning's crew chief. Then I went on to describe how fun our training sessions were and how he had inspired me to become a racer.

Lightning was flicking through the pages with everyone peering over him. I was nervous. Did they like it? I couldn't tell.

"Fudgie!" Luigi exclaimed finally. "You really did this for Doc?"

I nodded. "Yeah... Why? Is it bad?"

"Oh, no!" everyone cried. "It's _perfect_!"

"Really?" I felt my face going red.

"Of course!" Luigi came forward and gave me a kiss. "I am sure Doc would have loved to see this! He would be very happy he has had this impact on your life."

"And I know the perfect place for this if you're okay with it, Miss Fudge", Lightning put in. "If we can pull these pages apart, laminate them and put them back together again, I think it would be a great addition to the museum."

"Really?" I repeated as I'm sure my face grew even more red.

Lightning nodded sincerely. "Absolutely. I'm sure it would've meant a lot to Doc."

"Wow!" I giggled, a little embarrassed. "Okay."

"Okay, why don't you let me cut this ribbon and we'll find a place for it inside?" Lightning suggested.

"Okay!" I agreed.

"Okay!" Lightning returned to what he was doing. " _Now_ without further ado, I am proud to present to you... the Doc Hudson Racing Museum!"

He cut the ribbon and everyone applauded. As usual, I was one of the loudest ones.

* * *

I was so excited to see inside because I hadn't done so yet. It was really impressive! Doc's Piston Cups looked better than they had in years. I remembered, for a while, when I was younger, I wanted Doc's Piston Cups; he didn't seem to care about them and I loved them. They deserved to be loved by someone. I think Doc would've given to me if he wasn't afraid it would spark questions from the others. Now, I realise that it was stupid of me to have them. They were Doc's and it was good to see them where they belonged. _I'll win a_ _Piston Cup of my own one day_ , I reminded myself. _It'll mean more to own one that way._

There were photos everywhere. The place had transformed so much from when it was Doc's clinic, I realised with a pang of sadness. I was glad I could still feel his presence, though.

"Hey, Fudge!" Lightning called from behind me.

"Yeah?"

"What do you say we find somewhere for this?" He held up my book.

"Okay!" I agreed, already thinking about where to put it. I just had one question for someone. "Luigi?"

Luigi broke away from his conversation with the Weathers family. "Yes, Fudge?"

"Where was I born?" I wanted to know, looking around the room. I knew that I'd been born in Doc's clinic. "Where in this room?"

"Over here", Luigi replied, gesturing to one of the corners in the room. There didn't seem to be much there.

"Do you think maybe we could put it over here?" I wondered.

"Sure!" Lightning answered. "I mean, maybe we'll have to move some little things around, but I'm sure it would mean a lot to Doc to have it here."

"Really?"

"Absolutely", Lightning insisted. He looked at the drawings I created of the three of us racing together. "Anyone can see how much he meant to you. And how much he's inspired you to be a racer." He gave me a smile. "You're gonna be a fantastic racer one day. And when you do, he's gonna be so proud of you." He paused and added, "In fact, he already is."

The only response I could come up with was to start crying. I missed Doc so much!

Lightning gave me a hug. "Hey! It's all right!" he whispered soothingly. "It's gonna be okay!"

I didn't answer. I believed that everything _would_ be all right. Still, that would never stop me from missing Doc. Nothing would. However, I was learning how to live with it slowly.

* * *

Lightning suggested that we went out to look at the stars that night. I thought that was a great idea, but first, I decided to write in my journal. I won't go into all the details of what I wrote because it was a lot about my personal feelings, but here's the gist of it: _Today_ _was the opening of the Doc Hudson Racing Museum! It was pretty cool, but kind of weird to_ _see Doc's clinic completely transformed. I really miss Doc and I don't think I'll ever get over_ _losing him, but at least I can feel him close by now. That makes me feel a little better. By the_ _way, everyone loved the book I made! It's gonna be on display in the museum, which is really_ _cool! Now, everyone will get to see Doc through my eyes!_

"Fudgie?" Luigi called out from downstairs just as I was finishing up.

"Coming!" I hollered as I dotted the last full stop at the end of my journal entry and hurried down to meet my fathers at the store entrance.

It wasn't until I was lying on Luigi's hood, staring up at the sky that it occurred to me that we hadn't done this since the night before Doc's death. I remembered the following night when I saw a shooting star and wished he would come back. I cringed, thinking about how stupid that was. Now, as I saw another shooting star, I closed my eyes and made another wish. _I wish that wherever Doc is, he's watching over me and I can make him proud!_ You might think that's stupid, but Lightning was right. Doc _did_ mean a lot to me, so I really hoped I could make him proud.

I smiled, knowing that he _was_ watching over me and I was going to at least _try_ to make him proud. I wasn't going to forget everything he ever told me. I was going to continue to be inspired to be a racer, thanks to him. If I did that, then his legacy- and his heart- would go on. The only other thing I had to remind myself was that Doc, Luigi, Guido, Lightning, Sally, Mater, Fillmore, Sarge, Sheriff, Flo, Ramone, Red, Lizzie and I were, are and always will be a family. And family will always be together. No matter what.

 **Wow! Another part done!**

 **I haven'** **t written Fudge in _Cars 2_ as part of this story because I didn't think it would be relevant. However, if you guys want me to do that, I can. Or rather, I'll _try_ to make it original to _When Life Gives You Lemons_.**

 **Well, I guess that's it for part three! Please review!**


	17. P4: The Fourth Piston Cup

**Here it is! Part four! I figured I might as well include _Cars 2_ if I'm gonna be including everything else. I don't have too many new ideas for it, though, so bear with me. As was the case with the first movie in this story, this'll be an abridged version, but I don't want it to come across as rushed.**

 **I've just started writing this, simultaneously to what was part five, but is now part six. After some figuring out, I've decided there will be either eight or nine parts to _COTSLOF_. I'm not a hundred per cent sure just yet.**

 **Part 4**

 **Chapter 1- The Fourth Piston Cup**

" _All right!_ " I could hear Lightning radio to the entire pit crew. " _I think this is gonna be_ _my last pit stop. Let's make it a good one!_ "

"Yeah!" I shouted, making everyone laugh.

" _Well, I'm glad to see you're motivated, Fudge!_ " Lightning commented as he made his way towards the pits.

When he came into the pits, everyone got to work. Guido changed the tyres, Fillmore took care of the fuel, I supervised, bouncing on my toes excitedly.

"Go, go, go!" I ordered the nanosecond everyone was done.

Lightning laughed some more as he did what I said.

"Calm down, Fudge", Sarge instructed me.

"I can't calm down!" I protested, still jumping around. "I'm excited! Lightning's gotta win!" And I was sure he would.

* * *

It had been almost a year since Doc had passed. My eleventh birthday was right around the corner and we were towards the end of another amazing Piston Cup season. You know, I once read in a book that losing someone you love is like running a really long race with a rock in your shoe. You get used to it, but it always hurts a little. Well, that was exactly what losing Doc was like. It was really hard with him not around, but it gradually became normal not to see him.

Anyway, we were watching the final race of the Piston Cup season at the Los Angeles International Speedway. Lightning had done extremely well and had a very good shot at taking home the Piston Cup for the fourth time! Lightning was more determined than ever, insisting that this was a very important trophy. He never explained why, though.

"Come on, Lightning!" I squealed as he blazed up the asphalt.

Bobby and Cal were right behind him. I could see that they were laughing and taunting each other as they usually did, but I couldn't tell what they were saying.

"Come on, soldier", Sarge radioed. "Stay focused."

" _I am focused!_ " I heard him respond. " _I am so ready for this!_ " With that, he pushed himself that little bit more.

"Last lap!" I sang out, jumping up and down even more. "Come on, Lightning!"

The gap between him and Bobby and Cal was getting smaller and smaller. My heart pounded in my chest. This was going to be one close race!

Lightning called out something to the other two, which made them all laugh. Although, a split second later, his eyes narrowed, full of determination. I knew that look in his eyes. It was the look he got where it was like there was nothing but him and the track. I wondered what was so important about this race. Of course, he never wanted to _not_ win, but this race more than ever. What was this special trophy? I was dying of curiosity.

Lightning was still in the lead as they made it around the last turn.

"Come on, come on, come on!" I whispered anxiously. "Come _on_!"

Cal and Bobby were still right behind him, but in the dying seconds, Lightning found one last burst of energy. He widened the gap between them and shot across that finish line!

" **YES!** " I screamed, punching the air. " **GO, LIGHTNING!** "

"Lightning, Lightning, Lightning!" fans chanted. As usual, I was doing so too and being one of the loudest ones there.

When Lightning returned to the pits, I was quick to throw my arms around him in a big hug.

"Congratulations!" I shouted.

He hugged me back. "Thanks, Fudge-O!"

"I'm so proud of you!" I babbled, jumping up and down. "You've won _another_ Piston Cup!" Every single time he won one, I dreamed of what it would be like to win a Piston Cup of my very own. It was going to be the most exciting moment of my life, I was sure.

"Yeah, I did!" He grinned at me. "You wanna see the cup?"

Of _course_ I did. So, I followed him towards the winner's circle.

I watched with great glee as Lightning was presented with the Piston Cup. This one was a golden piston-shaped cup just like any other Piston Cup. However, this one featured a sculpture of Doc over the top.

"Wow!" I exclaimed.

"Yep!" Lightning confirmed. "This is the Hudson Hornet Memorial Piston Cup!"

"That is so cool!" I cried. "How come you didn't tell us? How come I didn't know that?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise", Lightning explained. "So, I convinced them to keep it a secret. Now, you know why I was so determined to win this race. For Doc."

"For Doc!" I agreed with a smile.

For the millionth time since his passing, I wondered what Doc would say or what he would think if he was still with us. I wish I didn't have to imagine these things.

That was when the rest of my family showed up to admire the trophy.

"They renamed the Piston Cup after _Doc_?!"

"Far out, man!"

"Funny! We never even knew Doc was a race car! Now, he's got a trophy named after him!"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it?" Lightning agreed with a small smile. "In fact, I think I know what to do with this."

* * *

Lightning had to stay in LA for a couple more days to sort out some business stuff with the Piston Cup officials, the Rust-Eze team and, of course, the press while the rest of us headed home. That kind of sucked for me because it meant Lightning wouldn't be home in time for my birthday.

"I know, sweetie!" he sympathised when I pointed that out to him. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it. I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back, all right?"

"How?" I wondered.

"Well, I'm not sure just yet", he admitted, "but I promise I'll do something."

"Okay", I muttered sadly.

As much as I missed Lightning, it was great to be back home again! I spent my time helping out my family around town, riding down the biggest hills around the desert (that was one of my favourite pastimes when I didn't have Lightning to take me racing and let me experience the thrill of speed; I'd even mastered the biggest hill when I was nine) and spending time with Mater. The tow truck was kind of lonely without his best friend, so he had me join him in all of the mischief he gets up to. When I wasn't helping out my family or riding down the biggest hills, I was humouring Mater as he went tractor tipping.

"I can't wait until Lightning gets back!" I commented to Luigi when I returned home from tractor tipping and flopped onto the couch. "Then Mater can take someone else tractor tipping!"

"Mater took you tractor tipping?!" Luigi demanded.

"What's for dinner?" I wanted to know.

* * *

The only day I got off from tractor tipping was my birthday. That was an almost perfect day, playing with my family and having water fights, riding down that big hill and having a neon cruise. Flo made me a delicious cake. The only thing that would've made it better was if Doc and Lightning were there to celebrate with me.

At least Lightning FaceTimed us.

" _Hey, guys!_ " he greeted us from Sally's phone just as Flo was serving the cake. " _Where's the_ _birthday girl?_ "

"She's right here!" Sally brought me forward, so I could see Lightning's face.

"Hi!" I greeted him with a smile.

" _Hey, Fudge-O! Happy birthday!_ "

My grin expanded. "Thanks!"

" _Did you have a good day?_ " Lightning wanted to know.

"Yeah!" I described all of the fun stuff I got up to that day.

" _Sounds fun! What did you get?_ "

"I got some racing figures!" I proclaimed excitedly, holding them up. "And I got another subscription to the Racing Sports Network magazine! A couple of racing T-shirts and books!" I held up a very large book. "I got the racing encyclopaedia you got me! Thank you!"

" _Wow!_ " my brother exclaimed. " _Sounds like you got a lot of great stuff!_ "

"I did!" I confirmed.

" _And you'll have some more great stuff when I get back_ ", he promised. " _I got you another_ _present!_ "

"Really?"

" _Yeah! I promised you I was gonna make it up to you for not being there today. I got you the_ _encyclopaedia, so you had a present from me for the big day and I got you another very_ _special present, which I'll give you when I get back!_ " he explained.

"Awesome!" I cheered. "Can't wait! Everyone really misses you!"

" _Aw! I miss you guys too!_ " he informed me.

"Yeah!" Mater chimed in from behind me. "We all miss ya, buddy! And I can't wait to show ya all the best friend fun I got planned!"

"I can't wait either, Mater!" Lightning proclaimed sincerely.

"Who wants cake?!" Flo called out abruptly.

"I do, I do!" I shouted excitedly.

Lightning laughed. " _You having cake now?_ "

"Yeah! Show him the cake, Flo!" I requested.

Flo smiled and brought the strawberry cheesecake in front of the camera.

" _Wow! That looks like a very nice cake!_ "

"We'll save you some for when you get back!" I promised.

Lightning laughed again. " _Thanks, Fudge-O!_ "

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Lightning still wasn't back and I, like the rest of my family, was really missing him. I think everyone in town was counting the minutes until Lightning returned. The town was just alive with him in it (well, I guess you'd know that, considering how he moved here!). So, needless to say, we were all ecstatic to see Mack and his trailer pull into town.

"Lightning!" I exclaimed. I made a quick pit stop by the fridge before running outside, still in my pyjamas (it was the afternoon, but I'd had a nap, exhausted from staying up all night with Mater!).

Just about everyone in town was there. The only one who wasn't there was Mater. I didn't find out until a bit later that he was out doing a tow for one of his regulars, a Lemon car named Otis. The rest of us, though, were gathered around Mack's trailer, eager to see Lightning!

There he was! He didn't look any different from the last time I saw him. Still, it felt like years since I'd seen him and I was overjoyed to have him back in town.

I ran to him for a hug. "I missed you!" I proclaimed.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" Lightning laughed as he hugged me back. "I missed you too!"

"Really?"

He laughed some more. "Yeah! Why wouldn't I?! And I got a surprise for you, remember?"

How could I forget?

Lightning gave me a shiny blue bag and a kiss on the forehead. "Happy late birthday, Fudge!"

I opened the bag to find a Nintendo Wii! That was something I'd really wanted for a long time! Mater and I often had fun using the one in Lightning's trailer.

"Awesome!" I squealed. "Thank you!"

Not only that, but I received another present, which was obviously a video game. "And _this_ is to go with it!"

I unwrapped it and was instantly even more excited. " _Wii Sports_! Cool!" I cried, holding it up for everyone to see. I hugged Lightning. "Thank you! This is awesome!"

"No problem, Fudge", he assured me. "I'm glad you like it."

"Oh!" I exclaimed abruptly with a jump. "I got something for you too!" I handed him what I'd pulled out of the fridge on my way out to see him. It was something wrapped in tin foil.

"Thanks, Fudge-O!" He unwrapped the foil with a smile to discover some leftover cheesecake from my birthday. "Thanks, Fudge-O!" he repeated. "I can't wait to try it!"

I smiled.

* * *

Before anything else could happen, the sound of a horn honking attracted everyone's attention. It was no mystery to anybody who it was.

"MATER!" Lightning yelled excitedly.

"MCQUEEN!" Mater hollered, barrelling towards his best friend, Otis- still attached to his tow hook- completely forgotten.

" **MATER!** "

" **MCQUEEN!** " Mater came to a stop and Otis was flung directly into Ramone's while I laughed hysterically. It was pretty funny.

Everyone just had to watch as Lightning and Mater launched into their best friend greeting. It made me wish I had a best friend of my own to do that kind of stuff with.

"Are you ready to have some serious fun?" Mater quizzed his best friend.

"Well, actually, I've got something to show you first", Lightning replied.

* * *

Lightning led Mater to the Hudson Hornet Racing Museum. I, as curious as ever, followed to see what this something was. It was the Hudson Hornet Memorial Piston Cup! It was in there alongside Doc's other Piston Cups. Even though I'd seen it before, I was still impressed to see it. I was heartbroken and ashamed too, though. It brought back the memories of losing Doc and missing him _plus_ the awful memories of what I did when he passed.

"Wow!" Mater exclaimed softly. "I can't believe they renamed the Piston Cup after our very own Doc Hudson!"

"Me neither", I muttered.

Lightning glanced at the photos of Doc on the wall. "I know Doc said these things were just old cups", he began sadly, "but to have someone else win it just didn't feel right, you know?"

None of us knew what to say or do after that.

"Well, Doc woulda been really proud of you", Mater offered finally. "That's for sure."

Lightning managed a tiny smile.

* * *

I stayed inside the museum a little while longer while Mater and Lightning were off doing whatever best friends did. I looked around at the museum. Doc's face was everywhere. There were photos and newspaper clippings all over the wall. Then there was the book I'd created for him.

It had been a difficult year for me and for everyone else. I missed Doc. I missed seeing his face, hearing his voice. I wished I could tell him about everything I'd been up to ever since his passing. I was sure he would have loved to know how well I was going with riding with Lightning whenever he let me.

"I'm gonna be the best rider there ever was!" I vowed determinedly, staring at his face on the wall. "You'll see, Doc!"

Oh, if only he could! I missed Doc and I was never going to get over losing him! I broke down in tears, wondering if the pain I was feeling was ever going to get better.

 **I gave this chapter its name because I feel like it's the fourth Piston Cup for both Lightning _and_ Doc. Lightning winning it is a scene I regret not including in _When Life Gives You Lemons_ , so at least here, I've been able to rectify that.**

 **I hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	18. P4: Team McQueen Meets World

**Kind of short chappie, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.**

 **It can be pretty difficult to make these chapters original, but I have been trying.**

 **Chapter 2- Team McQueen Meets World**

"It is going to be okay, Fudge", Luigi assured me sympathetically when I told them about how I'd been feeling that day.

"You guys keep saying that", I muttered into my glass of Coke.

"I know." Luigi gave me a kiss. "I know it has been very hard. It is going to get better."

"It _has_ gotten a little bit better", I admitted. "But I still miss Doc."

Luigi nodded understandingly. "Of course."

Before I could dwell on it any further, Mater came charging towards us.

"Guido!" he exclaimed. "What's McQueen's usual?!"

Lightning and Sally were up at the Wheel Well for a date. The rest of us were at the motel/restaurant, but elsewhere. Mater had missed Lightning so much, so he was pretending to be their waiter. Only Mater would think of something like that. Although, I had missed Lightning too, so Mater had inspired me to act as their maître d' just minutes earlier. However, I guess he'd gotten stumped by whatever Lightning's usual drink was.

"(How should I know?)" Guido responded.

Mater doesn't speak much Italian, so he didn't understand what Guido was saying. "Perfect! Gimme two of 'em!"

" **QUIET!** " Sarge barked. "My program's on!"

I glanced up to find _The Mel Dorado Show_ on, but I didn't really care about that. It was never a show that I had any interest in. They were talking about some oil billionaire, who sold his oil fortune and converted himself into an electric car! Boring!

" _To show the world what his new super fuel can do, he's created a racing competition like no_ _other!_ " Mel informed viewers.

Okay. _Now_ , he had my attention. If Mel had wanted my attention, he should've opened with that.

" _...inviting the greatest champions from around the globe to battle in the first ever World_ _Grand Prix!_ "

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "Cool!"

" _And on satellite, a World Grand Prix competitor_ ", Mel Dorado introduced, " _and one_ _of the fastest cars in the world: Francesco Bernoulli!_ "

The red, green and white Italian formula car on TV looked and sounded vaguely familiar to me. I had to admit, he looked pretty fast. I wondered how fast he could go compared to Lightning. Wait. Why wasn't _Lightning_ a competitor?

" _It is an honour,_ Signore _Dorado_ ", Francesco began, " _for_ you."

I think just about everyone listening rolled their eyes. This was one cocky race car!

" _Miles, why not invite Lightning McQueen?_ " Mel suggested abruptly.

"Yeah!" I cried, glad that someone had also thought of that.

" _Of_ course _we invited him_ ", Miles Axlerod insisted. " _But apparently, after his very long_ _racing season, he is taking some time off to rest._ "

I nodded, understanding. Still, it would've been so cool to travel the world and witness the ultimate racing competition! I imagined Lightning roaring into the lead, beating everyone, especially Francesco! Maybe he would even take me for a couple of laps when he was done. The other racers still hadn't finished.

" _Lightning McQueen would not have a chance against Francesco_ ", you-know-who boasted. He started rattling off all of the ways he was better than my favourite race car.

" _Let's go to the phones!_ " Mel announced.

I noticed Mater driving off, but I didn't think anything of it at that point. I just focused my attention on the TV to see what people had to say.

" _Let's go to Radiator Springs! You're on, caller!_ "

Wait! Radiator Springs? Was Mater... Oh, no!

My worries were confirmed when I heard Mater's voice on the TV. " _Yeah, that Italian fella_ _you got on there can't talk that way about Lightning McQueen. He's the bestest race car in_ _the whole wide world!_ "

"Uh-oh..." That was Sarge.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." I added as we all shifted our attention back to the TV.

Mater's intentions were good; we all knew that. Even so, we did not think this would end well.

" _If he is, uh, how you say, the bestest race car, then why must he rest, eh?_ " Francesco quizzed the tow truck.

"'Cause he knows what's important!" Mater insisted. "Every now and then, he prefers just to slow down, enjoy life!"

" _Ah! You heard it!_ " Francesco exclaimed triumphantly. " _Lightning McQueen prefers to be_ _slow! Of course, this is not news to Francesco! When I want to go to sleep, I watch one of his_ _races! After two laps, I am out! Cold!_ "

I blew a raspberry at the screen as we heard Mater protest, "That ain't what I meant!"

Francesco went on and on about oh, how much better he was than Lightning. I was so angry I could feel my face going hot.

Luigi tapped me on the arm. "Why don't you go outside?" he suggested. "The fresh air will do you good."

I knew what he meant. I'd been feeling so many emotions lately that I was probably going to snap. So, I took a deep breath and managed an, "All right" as I slid out of my seat.

" _He is afraid of Francesco_ ", I heard him taunt on my way out. " _This is understandable._ "

"Fudge!" I heard Lightning call. "What's going on?"

I didn't get to answer. He'd seen for himself.

"That's that Italian formula car", he noted. "His name is-"

"Francesco Bernoulli!" Sally finished. "No wonder there's a crowd!"

I made a face! Sally was attracted to Francesco?! _Ew_! (Hey! I was eleven!)

Immediately, Lightning was jealous. "Wait. Why do you know his name? And don't say it like that! It's three syllables, not _ten_!"

"What? He's... nice to look at. You know, open-wheeled and all."

"What's wrong with fenders?" Lightning demanded.

"Nothing!"

I laughed. Sally had kind of dug herself into a hole there. Looking back, on one hand, I could understand why it would bother Lightning. Although, on the other hand, he should know that Sally's heart belongs to him.

"I thought you liked my fenders."

Our attention was brought back to the TV when we heard Mater's voice again.

"Let me tell you somethin' else there, Mr. San Francisco!"

"Mater?" Lightning asked in surprise while I made my way back to Mater.

"McQueen could drive circles around you!"

"Yeah!" I shouted into the phone.

" _Driving in circles is all he can do, no?_ " Francesco shot back.

I don't remember what Francesco said next; probably because I didn't understand it. All I remember is that it made Lightning so mad that before I knew it, he was on the phone.

"Look, I don't appreciate my best friend being insulted like that!"

" _McQueen, that was your best friend? Oh!_ " Francesco mocked sympathy. (I've never understood why people act kind or sympathetic when they don't mean it. I've been on the receiving end of that more times than I care to remember and if it's some kind of weird joke, then I don't get it.) " _This is the difference between you and Francesco. Francesco knows how_ _good he is. He does not need to surround himself with tow trucks to prove it._ "

"Yeah, those are strong words from a car who is so fragile!" Lightning retorted.

I laughed. It was true. Formula cars _were_ fragile! Plus, Lightning learnt a thing or two about sick burns from Doc, I recalled with a pang of sadness.

That just set Francesco off. " _ **FRAGILE!**_ " he screamed. " _He calls-a Francesco fragile! Not-a so fast, McQueen!_ "

"Not so fast?" Lightning echoed with a smile. "What is that? Your new motto?"

" _Ohhh_!" I exclaimed. "You just got _owned_ , Francesco!"

Clearly, he wasn't happy because he launched into some very angry Italian.

" _Well!_ " Miles Axlerod got involved in the conversation. " _T_ _his sounds like something that needs to be settled on the race course! What do you say, Lightning McQueen? We've still got room for one more racer._ "

I jumped up and down excitedly. _Please say yes!_ I wanted nothing more than to have Lightning race across the world. _Come on, Lightning! Please say yes!_

"Well, I would love to", Lightning began. "The only thing is my crew's off for the season, so..."

He turned around to find the rest of us getting together. Ramone made a Team Lightning McQueen banner while Guido popped the corks off three bottles. I smiled. It never failed to amaze me how fast our team could spring into action.

"You know what? They just got back! Deal me in, baby! Ka-chow!"

I was so excited that I squealed and did some more jumping up and down. We were going to the World Grand Prix!

* * *

Things happened fast. Before I knew it, Lightning had an awesome new paint job- with real working headlights- and the _next_ thing I knew, I was on a plane with Lightning, Mater, Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore. We were on our way to Tokyo, Japan for the first race of the World Grand Prix. And what turned out to be the most bizarre adventure of my life.

"This is gonna be so cool!" I proclaimed to Lightning when we were on the plane and everyone else was asleep. "There are going to be all kinds of racers in this competition, aren't there?"

"That's right!" Lightning confirmed. "There are formula cars, GT cars, LMP..."

"Awesome!" I exclaimed, faltering a little.

"What's wrong?" Lightning wanted to know.

"I was just wondering how Doc would feel about this", I replied sadly. "You know, you participating in the ultimate racing competition."

"I'm sure he'd be proud", Lightning commented. "At least, I hope so."

We were silent for a few minutes.

"You know", Lightning began quietly, "Doc made me promise I'd keep helping you become a racer."

"Really?"

"Yeah... Do you think I'm doing an okay job?"

"Yeah! You still remind me of the same things Doc does and let me know when I'm making the same mistakes."

"Just wondering. 'Cause I know you miss Doc. And... I don't know. I know a lot about racing, but I never thought about teaching someone else."

"I _do_ miss Doc", I informed him. "But that doesn't mean I don't love you."

He gave me a soft smile. "I miss Doc too, but I love you too."

"Thanks."

There was another uncomfortable silence.

"Well", Lightning broke the silence. "Let's go and make Doc proud."


	19. P4: Highway to the Danger Zone

**I should've updated this sooner! I don't know why I didn't!**

 **Chapter 3- Highway to the Danger Zone**

Japan was _awesome_! Driving through the crowded, colourful, amazing streets of Tokyo was like being in a whole new world! They had everything, including a Lightning McQueen toy store!

"This is so cool!" I proclaimed, glancing around at said store. I grinned at my brother. "An entire store dedicated to _you_!"

He looked around. "It's creepy!" he voiced his opinion. I think he was creeped out, but secretly loved it.

"Did you have any idea you were this big in Japan?" Sarge questioned.

Lightning shook his hood. "Nope."

That wasn't the only cool thing we discovered in Japan. There was the kabuki theatre and sumo wrestling. Plus, at my request, we sang some karaoke and went to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. There was no doubt about it; I was definitely enjoying my time in Japan, but after a couple of days, we attended the pre-race party at the Tokyo Art Museum and I was so excited for that too. Little did I know, our trip was about to go downhill from there.

* * *

There were two things about that night that bothered me right off the bat. The first was that Luigi insisted on making me wear a dress, which I hate (sure, I think some dresses look nice, but wearing them just isn't me). The second was that Francesco was just as annoying and cocky in real life as he was on _The Mel Dorado Show_. On top of that, it had Lightning on edge and _that_ wasn't much fun for anybody.

"Hey, lookie there!" Mater exclaimed. "It's Mr. San Francisco! I'll introduce ya!"

"Mater, _no_!" Lightning begged as he followed, holding my hand.

But did Mater listen? No! The poor tow truck had no idea how to behave at this kind of party and was embarrassing Lightning without realising it.

"Ah! Lightning McQueen!" Francesco greeted. " _Buona sera_!"

"Uh... nice to meet you, Francesco", Lightning managed.

"Nice to meet you too", was the completely insincere response. That was when he noticed me. "And who is this?"

"Francesco, this is my cheerleader, Fudge Rossi-Topolino", Lightning introduced me.

I gave him an odd look. Normally, he introduces me as his cheerleader and _little sister_ , Fudge Rossi-Topolino. Why did he omit the latter for Francesco?

Then Lightning must've realised he was still holding my hand. Francesco had noticed too because he gave Lightning a funny look. So, Lightning dropped my hand as if it were on fire. I tried to hold his tyre again because I wanted to and besides, Lightning liked how people at the Piston Cup thought it was cute. However, this time, he jerked away from me.

"Fudge, _no_!" he shouted. "You don't need to hold my tyre!"

"Sorry", I muttered, not really sorry at all. I hadn't done anything wrong.

Lightning didn't say anything. He just turned back to his conversation with Francesco.

I don't remember much of that conversation because I was only half-listening. I was angry, hurt and annoyed at Lightning, so I didn't pay much attention,. What I _do_ remember, though, is Lightning leading me away- _without_ holding my hand- as Francesco revealed a CIAO MCQUEEN bumper sticker.

Lightning groaned. "He is _so_ getting beat tomorrow!" he vowed determinedly.

Having to wear a dress and the whole thing with Francesco weren't a lot of fun, but I could live with both of those things. I told you things went downhill from here? Well, what I've told you about so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

* * *

Lightning had to ditch me to go up for interviews, so I was left all alone. All alone in a large crowd in a foreign country.

 _Lightning is different in Japan!_ I told myself as I walked around, unable to figure out where to go. _It's like he doesn't care about any of us anymore!_ He'd told Mater he needed to act different here; did he mean act like a total jerk?

These were the thoughts going around in my head as I walked around and around in circles. I thought about asking someone for help, but I couldn't hear anybody speaking in English or Italian. They were mostly speaking Japanese, but I think I heard a couple other languages as well.

I didn't think I'd be able to find the others, but then I ran into a silvery-blue Faultless GT. _Literally_ ran into him.

"Sorry about that!" I apologised as he helped me up.

"That's quite all right", he replied and I instantly fell in love with his British accent. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm all right", I assured him, tucking my hair behind my ear. Then, since I had someone who spoke English, I decided to ask for help. "Have you seen my family? Yellow Fiat 500? Blue forklift? Jeep? Volkswagen-"

I stopped talking when I realised this car was laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"Would that be them?"

He gestured a tyre to his left and my right.

"Hey, Fudge!" I heard Fillmore call out to me. "Where've you been, man?"

I looked back at the British car with an embarrassed smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I ran off to join my family.

* * *

All of the World Grand Prix racers were interviewed. Every time a new one went up there, I would pray to see Lightning soon. I was ninety-nine per cent sure he could beat all of those guys, no question. I didn't mind too much that Lightning was the last one, though. It was a matter of saving the best for last.

All of the interviews went smoothly. The exception, unfortunately, was Lightning's. His conversation with Sir Miles Axlerod was interrupted by a loud scream. I froze as I realised who it was. Mater came rushing on to the stage and made a beeline for the waterfall behind his best friend, lapping up the water.

"What's wrong with Mater?" I asked nobody in particular. Sure, Mater was never exactly conventional, but what on Earth had prompted him to do _that_?

"Whatever you do", he began, speaking into the microphone, " _DO NOT EAT_ the free pistachio ice cream! It has _turned_!"

Free pistachio ice cream? What? I looked to the rest of my family, but they all seemed just as confused as I was.

"Ah! He's a little excited, isn't he?" I was brought back to Earth by Axlerod's voice.

"Oh, _man_! He _didn't_!" I heard a voice behind me chortle.

I couldn't figure out what they were talking about at first, but when Sarge turned away, disgusted, I knew. There was a puddle of oil on the stage between Mater and Axlerod.

"But that can't be right!" I blurted out. "Mater _never_ leaks oil!"

But nobody heard me.

* * *

"I am so embarrassed!" was the way Lightning greeted the rest of us after the interviews. He'd sent Mater off to the bathroom to take care of himself. "Of all the times and places a car could leak oil, Mater had to do it then and there!"

"But Mater _never_ leaks!" I repeated my earlier thoughts. Something was really bothering me about all this.

"Well, he has now."

I wasn't convinced. I had some mechanical knowledge, mostly with race cars, but I had worked on other cars as well. I knew there was something going on; I just didn't know what.

"Well, what would _you_ say's going on?!" Lightning quizzed me. "I'd be _very_ interested to hear your answer, Detective Rossi!"

I thought about that. Mater never leaked and neither did Lightning. Plus, Lightning was so adamant that it wasn't him. "If it wasn't you and it wasn't Mater... that just leaves Axlerod."

"Fudge, electric cars don't _use_ oil!" Lightning snapped at me.

"O _kay_! Jeez!" I was right. Lightning seemed to think we were supposed to act like total jerks in Japan.

"Well, _think_ about it!"

* * *

Lightning was getting on my nerves, which was one of the reasons I decided to go to the bathroom (the other one being I needed to go). It was after I'd gone that things got even more eventful. First, I saw another human- a woman in her early twenties- who looked a lot like me with brown hair (although hers had rainbow dye covering the bottom half), blue eyes and similar features. The resemblance between us was uncanny. I stood there, staring at her for a few moments before a magenta sports car came through. She was about to go into the men's room.

"Um..." I got her attention awkwardly. I pointed to the other door. " _This_ is the women's."

"What?" She turned around to face me and I noticed she had a British accent too. "Oh, yes... Thank you..."

I was disappointed to turn around and find that the other human was gone. I don't know why I was so interested in her, but I was. I didn't mind too much, though. Mater had just come out of the bathroom. What had taken him so long?

As we were heading away from the bathrooms, the magenta sports car approached us. "Hello."

"Well, _hello_!" Mater responded.

"Um... hi?"

"A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia has no radiator", were the next words out of her mouth.

"Um... Okay?" That was kind of a random thing to say. I mean, that was because it's air-cooled, but everyone knows that. Why would she just tell us that?

Mater told her that and she sighed with relief.

"Perfect! Um... I'm from the Tokyo Station-" she began.

But Mater wasn't done rattling off facts about Karmann Ghias and other cars without radiators. As a tow truck, he knew a lot about cars like me.

"Listen!" this car cut him off. She looked from Mater to me. "Um... I'm assuming this is the human associate."

"The what?" I asked, wondering what on Earth this car was talking about. Was she crazy?

She looked back at Mater with a kind of embarrassed smile. "She's a bit younger than I was expecting!" she chuckled. "They told me she was young, but..." She let out another chuckle.

"They?!" I echoed. "Who's they?" _And what were they telling you about me?_

However, the subject changed abruptly; it was like she didn't even hear me. "Anyway, um... We should find somewhere more private."

"What for?" I wondered. Was this whole party some kind of prank? Nothing made sense since I'd arrived.

"When can I see you again?" the sports car asked Mater.

Mater lit up. "Well, let's see!" he responded excitedly. "Tomorrow, I'll be out there at the races!"

"Got it!" she confirmed. "We'll rendezvous then."

"What just happened?" I quizzed Mater as we headed back to the others.

"I dunno", he muttered. He appeared to be on cloud nine and was only half-listening to me. "I don't even know what _rendezvous_ means."

"Me neither."

Later on, I found out two things: One, Mater was under the impression he had a date with the sports car. I wasn't so sure about that because, based on what I'd seen that night, I was sure that this woman was crazy. Besides, had she been talking to just Mater? Maybe she was talking to both of us. I wasn't sure. Two, Mater had a crush on her. He kept referring to her as "the purtiest car he'd ever met". Well, I wasn't sure if she was really asking him out on a date. I just hoped my poor tow truck brother wouldn't get his heart broken by her.

* * *

I wish that had been the end of all the craziness. However, that wasn't the case. Just as we were leaving the party, I saw a faded lime green Pacer and a rusty orange Gremlin drag away a battered dark blue muscle car. He looked like he was struggling, but he was too weak to fight them. That happened so fast I barely had time to question it.

"I'm sure it's fine", Lightning assured me when I told him. "We should go back to the hotel and get some sleep. We got a big day tomorrow."

I thought that what I'd just seen was weird enough, but I saw the Gremlin and Pacer a few minutes later without the muscle car. They were approaching someone...

It was the human I'd seen just hours earlier. I heard her speaking through a radio.

"Things just got worse than I thought!" she told whoever was on the other end of the radio. She had a New York accent with a hint of southern. "The device has been passed on to a civilian... _Yes_! I _do_ understand what this means, sir, but I wasn't _there_! There was nothing I could have done... Yes, I'm prepared to take up the extra work. You _know_ I'll do whatever it takes! Whatever must be done, I'll do it... Of _course_ I'll take care of the civilians for you. That's part of the job!" That was when she stared right at me. My eyes widened in fear. The woman turned her back to me and returned to her conversation. "I have to go. This area is compromised. I'll get back you as soon as I can."

"Hey!" the Pacer shouted to the woman as he and the Gremlin appeared. "You coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, boys! I'm coming!"

Then she was gone. I felt a shiver go through my spine. The whole night had been one unusual event after the other. I got the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but I didn't know what. I just hoped I could find out.

* * *

The next day, I was almost able to forget about what had happened the night before. Almost. I tried to focus on the race! Tonight would be the very first race of the World Grand Prix, the ultimate race competition. There were the best of the best racers and three never-before-seen racetracks. The glitz and glamour was enough to excite anybody.

With the race under way, I forgot all about Mater, the leaking oil, that weird magenta sports car and that human woman. I just watched the race and performed my usual cheerleading chant. Lightning had hit the lead during the dirt track section.

"Yes!" I yelled when he did. "Nicely done, Light!"

This was one exciting race.

Unfortunately, the race continued to be exciting, but in the wrong way. You'll probably remember this. Just as the racers were finishing up the first lap, there was a loud boom. I nearly jumped right out of my skin.

"What happened?!" I demanded.

I got my answer when Spanish race car, Miguel Camino, came into the pits next to ours, smoke pouring out of his engine.

"Miguel Camino has blown an engine!" Darrell Cartrip exclaimed.

"Very unusual, Darrell", the other announcer, Brent Mustangburger, added.

Very unusual. That's exactly what it was.

"Is he okay?" I wanted to know.

"He _looks_ fine", Sarge replied. "Just a bit in shock."

I wondered what caused that to happen. Did he have some kind of problem with his engine?

I barely had time to register it. Something else happened. Mater had disappeared! He'd been talking through the radio; something about a date, but then he was driving off!

"Mater? Where are you going?" I wanted to know.

He didn't answer. He just kept driving.

"Mater!" I shouted.

Still no answer.

Without thinking, I followed him.

* * *

I couldn't see Mater, though. The first thing I saw was the rainbow-haired woman I saw at the party the night before, dressed entirely in black. There was a silver object in her hand and I gulped when I saw it.

"Don't... _move_!" she ordered, aiming the gun at me.

"What?!" I gasped.

" **I SAID DON'T MOVE!** "

I raised my hands slowly and shakily, wanting to move, but found myself rooted to the spot. I closed my eyes, thinking that I was going to die right then and there.

 **BANG!**

The gun was fired, but the bullet didn't hit me. I felt something hard slam into me and send me sprawling across the road.

" _Owww_!" I moaned as I turned to see what that was.

It was the silvery-blue British car from the party the night before! By the time I glanced up, the human was gone.

"What are you doing?!" I quizzed the British car. What was going _on_?!

"Trying to save your life!" he responded, shooting out some grappling hooks to throw me onto his roof.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Put me down!"

He did not put me down.

"Miss Shiftwell?"

I remember hearing a voice respond through a radio. I don't remember what they said, but it was the magenta sports car Mater had spoken to!

"Keep him moving!" I heard the British car order. "I'm on my way!"

He used his grappling hooks to lift him and myself into the air.

"Whoa!" I cried, wishing I had my racing magnets on me.

At least he had the decency to help me get back to Mater via a zip line (that was kind of fun).

"Fudge!" Mater exclaimed when he saw me. "What is you doin' here?!"

"What are _you_ doing here?" I wondered.

"I gotta go fer my date!" Mater explained. A flower shop caught his attention. "Hey, new lady friend! You like flowers?"

I leaned in close to the headset, trying to listen to what was going on. I heard Lightning's voice exclaim, " _What_?!"

" _No!_ " a British accent- the same female from the party the night before- cried through the radio. " _Don't go_ in _anywhere! Just keep moving!_ "

"Stay outside", Mater confirmed.

"No!" I gasped, realising that Lightning could still hear.

Mater didn't seem to notice, though. He just continued to listen to this British car instruct us on where to go. Why was she telling us where to go? I had no idea.

"Mater? What's going on?" I wanted to know.

"I'm goin' for my date, remember?" He sounded a little annoyed that I didn't remember.

"But I've seen some other people..." I looked around to see if I could see the Faultless GT and the rainbow-haired woman, but neither one of them was in my sight.

Before I could tell him about them, I heard Mater's so-called date radio again. " _You're doing_ _brilliantly. Now, just stay focused._ "

However, Mater was more interested in what was going on down a nearby street. My heart rate went up even more (I hadn't thought it would be possible at that moment) when I saw flames down there. It looked and sounded like there was some kind of fight going on too. It had Mater's attention and he was going to investigate.

" _No!_ " he was ordered through his radio. " _Don't go down that street!_ "

I was conflicted. On one hand, I didn't want to lose Mater. There was no way I could find my way back on my own. Not that I thought Mater knew where he was going, but then I wouldn't be alone. On the other hand, no way did I want to see what was happening! It would be dangerous. Besides, I'm absolutely _terrified_ of fire. I always have been. What was I supposed to do?

The good news was I didn't have to decide. The bad news was I didn't have to decide _because_ I was tackled to the ground. I glanced up to find that rainbow-haired woman pinning me down, despite my protests.

" **MATER, HELP!** " I screamed as she grabbed my hand. I thrashed around, but she was too strong for me.

I heard the woman talking to herself. "Area's compromised. Better make this quick."

That didn't sound good.

"What are you doing?!" I demanded, only to get my answer a few seconds later; I felt a sharp pain my left hand. I couldn't see what she was doing, but whatever it was, it _hurt_!

"There she is!" someone yelled behind me.

The woman leapt up, yelling a word I'd only ever heard in movies my family didn't know I'd seen.

Okay. No more going off on my own. No matter how scary whatever was happening down there was, I had to find Mater.

"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed.

The Faultless GT had been sandwiched between three Lemon cars- Pacers, I think- with one either side of him and a third behind. The green Pacer I saw with the human woman at the party the night before was heading directly for him... armed with a _flamethrower_!

"What are they _doing_?!"

Luckily, Mater was nearby, watching in awe.

"Mater!" I cried.

The tow truck briefly took his gaze away from the fight scene to greet me. "Fudge! There ya are! Where ya been?!"

" _Mater!_ " I heard Lightning yell through the radio. " _What the hell's going on?! What are you_ _doing?! I can't focus on the race if you keep talking!_ "

Mater didn't listen. He and I were both distracted by a loud explosion. The British car had managed to jump out of the way, avoiding the flamethrower. The car behind him and the Pacer with the flamethrower were sent colliding into each other, causing said explosion. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see those flames. When I opened my eyes, I could see that both cars had gone flying and one of them even landed in the chopsticks of a billboard advertising sushi.

I shook my head in disbelief. "This is _crazy_!"

I saw the British car get into a fighting stance to take care of the other cars.

"Wow!" Mater exclaimed excitedly. "A live karate demonstration!"

Once again, I could hear Lightning's voice. " _Stop it, Mater! Just sign off!_ "

"Awesome!" I declared. Karate? Now, _this_ was more like it.

Well, it wasn't all karate. This silvery-blue car had magnets in his tyres, which he used to fling a car onto a nearby lift. He produced a gun.

"A _gun_?!" I gasped. "What kind of karate is _this_?!" I can't claim to know too much about karate, but I'm pretty sure there are no guns involved.

Mater seemed too enthralled to notice or care. He kept his eyes glued on the Faultless GT.

Anyway, he used his gun to shoot at the elevator cables and the car on it went straight up. He was trapped. When his buddy also lunged for the Faultless GT, he jumped onto the wall, sticking to it with his magnets. This car was sent tumbling into the lift and when the British car fired bullets at the cables once again, the lift came down, crushing him as well. The excitement was over. _Thank God for that!_ I thought as I tried to slow my breathing down.

"That was cool!" Mater proclaimed.

"Wow!" I added, feeling four things: relieved that that was over; scared that it had happened; confused as to what was going on and a little excited. "Don't see _that_ every day, hey, Mater?"

Mater still wasn't listening to me. "Hey! Can I get your autograph?!" he called out to the GT.

Before he could get a response, white vans with red headbands came pouring out of a nearby karate centre, chattering away excitedly. They were speaking in Japanese, so I couldn't tell what they were saying. Maybe they'd seen what happened and were talking about that. I don't know. When they were all gone, the British car had disappeared.

"Hey! Where'd he go?" Mater wondered.

" _Our rendezvous has been jeopardised_ ", the other British car informed him through the headset. " _Keep the device safe. We'll be in touch._ "

Device? What device?

"Dad-gum!" Mater groaned. "Did I miss our date?"

I jumped out of my skin as I heard a loud bang. I turned around and for a _very_ brief moment- so fast I don't think you could've timed it- I saw the rainbow-haired woman. Her head was peeking out from just around the corner. I shivered when I saw the gun again. Before I could blink, she was gone again.

* * *

For the most part, the excitement was over. There was just one thing; Luigi and Guido were super mad at me for running off like that.

"You _know_ this isn't Radiator Springs!" Luigi reminded me. "You can't just go off on the streets by yourself! We were very worried about you! What you did was dangerous and foolish! You did not think, did you?"

No. He was right. I didn't think. I was angry and ashamed and afraid. I apologised to my fathers six times on the way back to the hotel, but neither one of them seemed to be in a listening mood. It was like talking to a wall.

"Someone tried to _kill_ me!" I blurted out at one point.

Both Luigi and Guido stared at me as if I'd lost my mind. I knew I couldn't blame them.

I was sent to bed in disgrace that night. Luigi and Guido went into the adjoining hotel room to talk to Lightning.

"Did you guys _hear_ Mater during the race?!" he yelled at my fathers. "What were they _doing_?!"

"Fudge said someone tried to kill her", Luigi deadpanned.

"Well, I didn't travel who knows _how_ many miles just for Mater to screw everything up!"

"They have both been very reckless", Luigi agreed.

So, Mater _had_ confused Lightning with the whole "stay outside" thing.

* * *

Well, at least I wasn't the only one who had someone mad at them. I couldn't feel too good about that, though. The poor tow truck was in tears when he told me about all of the horrible things Lightning said to him.

"It's all my fault, Fudge! He done said he made a mistake! He meant _me_! McQueen ain't never gon' forgive me!"

"I'm sure he will", I assured him.

Mater didn't seem convinced. Neither did I, for that matter. I didn't have that much faith in anything after everything that had happened.

"I think I made a mistake in comin' here", Mater sighed.

"I was thinking the same thing", I sighed. "You know, with everything that's happened. Nothing makes sense."

Mater gave me a quizzical look.

"You know, the whole leaking oil and that karate guy and the woman with rainbow hair."

"What woman with rainbow hair?"

"I saw her at the party last night", I explained, "and tonight, she tried to shoot me."

"Dad-gum!" Mater exclaimed with wide eyes.

There was a pause. "So, what are we gonna do?"

Mater thought for a moment. "I wanna go home. I ain't gonna let Lightnin' lose the other races."

"Well, if you're going, then I'll go too", I decided. "I wanted to go back to Italy and to London, but if it's gonna be like this, then I don't wanna go."

"I'll get us some flights", Mater announced.

"I'll start packing."

A few hours later, I was dressed, both of us had packed and had written goodbye letters and were ready to go. I took one last look around to make sure that was the case. Mater was stuffing as much food as he could from the refrigerator into his bag.

"You got everything?" I quizzed him.

He nodded.

I grabbed my denim jacket and put it on. "All right. Let's go."

The two of us took one last look around at our hotel room. I couldn't speak for Mater, but I was having second thoughts. Did I really want to go? Then I remembered everything I'd told Mater about. Yes and no. No I didn't want to go, but yes I wanted to get away from whatever was going on there. So, I followed Mater without a word.

Sure, I was disappointed to be leaving. I'd been looking forward to seeing this racing competition. Besides, I was looking forward to returning to Italy to see my relatives there and visiting London would've been great. Though, like I said, the trip wasn't going to be fun if it continued to be this bizarre!

What I didn't know, though, was that the crazy stuff wasn't over. In fact, it had barely begun.


	20. P4: A Classic Case of Mistaken Identity

**Chapter 4- A Classic Case of Mistaken Identity**

I was impressed by how organised Mater had been. He was able to organise flights for the two of us and got both me and himself to the airport with very few complications. I mean, Mater's not an idiot; I've never said or thought that. He can just be a little naïve and childlike at times. Well, pretty much all the time.

I couldn't have even begun to think about doing all that stuff. I wanted to get home, but I was too distracted to think of a plan on how to do it. Luckily, Mater took care of everything.

So, that was how we found ourselves at the airport, ready to depart Tokyo. Mater was gazing sadly at a poster of our team. I looked too, remembering how excited I was for this trip. Yet nothing had gone the way I'd planned. That sucked! When I looked up again, Mater was gone!

"What is _wrong_ with me?!" I groaned. Why did I keep getting lost?!

I tried to find Mater, but I ran into the Gremlin and Pacer I'd seen at the party the night before. They almost collided right into me! Though, for some reason, _they_ started yelling at _me_!

"Hey! _Watch_ it, human!" the Gremlin shouted.

"No one ever taught you respect for others?!" the Pacer sneered.

They each gave me a disgusted look before driving off. I gave them a disgusted look of my own as they left. Who _were_ those two? What had they done to the muscle car I saw with them that night? Why did I see the Pacer with a flamethrower? I shook it off. It was all over now. In under an hour, I was gonna be on that plane. Then I'd be back in Radiator Springs. Everything would be fine and I could forget all about oil, imaginary girlfriends, flamethrowers, karate-with-guns experts and stalkers with rainbow hair.

* * *

Thank Chrysler I found Mater at the end of the security line. Unfortunately, an airport security car found him at the same time.

"Come with me please, sir", he instructed. He looked to me. "You too, miss."

My heart thumped. I was afraid that we were in trouble. _That_ was just what I needed! We hadn't done anything wrong... Had we? I couldn't think of anything. Then again, we _were_ in a foreign country with different laws. I had no choice but to follow him and Mater.

Boy, was I in for a surprise when we got to the airport lounge. The security car removed his disguise. It was that Faultless GT _again_!

I groaned. "You gotta be _kidding_ me!" I muttered under my breath. Who was this guy? And what did he want?

"I never properly introduced myself", were the first words out of his mouth. "Finn McMissile. British Intelligence."

Mater grinned. "Tow Mater! Average intelligence."

I laughed.

Finn was looking at me. "And you are?"

"Oh! I'm Fudge Rossi-Topolino."

"Fudge?" he asked me, surprised. "Your name is _Fudge_?"

"Yeah, Fudge", I confirmed. "Yes, like the candy."

"Interesting name..."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Who are you two with?" Finn questioned. "FBI? CIA?"

It took all of my control to prevent myself from yelling, screaming, demanding to know what was going on. I was able to tone it down just a little bit to one, " _What_?!"

Before Finn could reply, Mater started chattering away about karate and showed off his version of the sport. Finn wasn't listening, though. Neither was I. He and I had noticed the Gremlin and Pacer heading straight for us! I'd noticed someone else too! The human with rainbow hair was approaching as well and I could see her patting her jeans. She was wearing a holster. In a panic, I dove directly into Mater's truck bed, which wasn't easy to do while he was jumping around. Finn was busy cutting a hole through the window with some kind of device.

"Wow! Look, we probably oughtta go", Mater informed Finn, beginning to drive off. "We're about to miss our flight."

"Don't worry!" Finn answered. "I've taken care of that." He shot out his rear grappling hooks and attached them to Mater's tow hook. "Hang on!"

Finn jumped out the window, taking Mater and me with him.

* * *

Now, I wasn't entirely sure if I could trust Finn, but I definitely trusted him more than the rainbow-haired woman or the Gremlin and Pacer. He was the lesser of four evils, I guess. Besides, I couldn't exactly jump out of Mater's truck bed while Finn was towing him across the airport runway at high speed. So, I stayed with Finn. I just lay down in the truck bed, determined to stay hidden.

"Your karate partners is back here!" Mater exclaimed. "Kinda look like they're tryin' ta catch up!"

I turned my head to see the Gremlin and Pacer racing down the runway towards us. Great! I'd been planning on going home to _get away_ from the crazy! Was the stalker still after us? I couldn't see her.

"Drive forward!" Finn ordered. "Whatever you do, don't stop!"

With those words, he spun around, so Mater was towing him. Since I was now facing backwards, I poked my head out of Mater's truck bed to get a brief glimpse of what was happening. I was afraid, but I still wanted to know what was going on; I just had to stay down.

"Whoa!" Mater shouted.

"Whoa!" another voice cried.

"Mater?!" I ventured. "What's happening?!"

I glanced up to see that we were practically on top of a plane, who was trying to take off on the runway.

"Be _careful_ , Mater!" I cried.

Before I could worry about planes for too long, I could see the Gremlin aiming a rocket launcher at us. My heart pounded. That thing looked like it could do some serious damage.

"Oh, my God!" I gasped.

Finn released this weird-looking device that tipped him up sideways. Fortunately, the Gremlin was stopped. _Un_ fortunately, somehow, he still launched the rocket.

"Incoming!" I shrieked, convinced that we were about to meet our untimely deaths.

Not on Finn's watch, though. I guess I should've known. He launched a rocket of his own. There was an almighty boom as the missiles collided.

"Holy moly!" I yelped, ducking down again. Like I said, I am terrified of fire; massive explosions are _definitely_ not my cup of tea. "This is _insane_!"

However, Mater was as oblivious as ever. "Everythin' okay back there?" How could he not realise what was going on?!

At that moment, I saw two vehicles in the air. There was a sleek jet soaring the sky. Then there was a black helicopter. Inside the helicopter was my stalker. She was armed; she had a rocket launcher of her own! I think my heart just about stopped.

"Finn!" I screamed. "Aerial attack!"

Finn was calm as ever as he sent another missile her way. I saw her jump out of the chopper, though, as another fiery explosion appeared before my eyes. So, she was probably going to chase us again.

"Who _are_ these people?!" I quizzed Finn.

Finn didn't answer.

I guess I could understand that; we still had a Pacer to worry about. He even towed a baggage train to slow us down. Only, Mater and Finn didn't hesitate in driving straight through it! The jet landed in front of us; Finn seemed to know him, which I _thought_ was a good sign. All we had to do was roll up the ramp and get onboard. Then what? How did I even know I could trust Finn and this jet?

"Hey! Doggone it, look!" I heard Mater exclaim abruptly. "It's my imaginary girlfriend!"

"Come on! Get _in_ here!" the female British car pleaded.

"Boy, I tell you what!" Mater shouted. "You really do want this first date, don't ya? That's a no-quit attitude right there!"

"Mater!" I screamed. "I kinda wanna... you know... _not_ die right now!"

The Pacer was still shooting! That was the first time Mater saw anything unusual, but he seemed more confused than scared. Finn brought out a gun and fired away. One got the Pacer right in the tyre! He slid off to one side, completely out of control. He went flying right up a plane's boarding ramp and shot off the other side to land in a lavatory service! Ew!

" _Sayonara_ , sucker!" I yelled to him.

"Come on, Finn!" the jet called. "It's now or never!"

Finn spun around again, propelling all three of us forward onto the ramp.

"Hold on!" I heard the plane shout as he took to the skies.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" I hollered as I hung on to the side of Mater's truck bed for dear life; Mater and I were still on the ramp as he was taking off. It was quite terrifying to see the ground get smaller and smaller.

Luckily, Finn was quick to tow Mater and me inside.

"Is everyone all right?" he quizzed us.

"Yeah..." I panted, shaken up by what had just happened.

Finn eyed me for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Just a little shaken up, I guess", I responded.

He nodded sympathetically. "The first mission's the hardest. You'll get used to it."

"Mission?" I echoed, puzzled. I had come to the conclusion that Finn and this magenta sports car were definitely spies, but why were they talking to Mater and me like _we_ were too? We were just part of a pit crew!

"Perhaps we'll be more comfortable in the main cabin", Finn suggested.

* * *

The main cabin was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was this wide, comfortable-looking place with very few seats. There was one for each of us- Finn, this sports car, Mater and me. In fact, mine had originally been one designed for a car, but with the push of a button, Finn transformed it into one more appropriate for a human! My eyes widened. Then I remembered that these guys were spies. This was probably far from the most impressive technology they had.

"Now, that's how I like to start a day!" Finn declared. "You never feel more alive than when you're almost dead!"

Boy was that the truth!

"So, where are we going now?" I wanted to know. I had a feeling we weren't going home; so, I felt kind of bad for Mater because he spent all that money on the flight.

Nobody answered.

I tried a much simpler question. "Who _were_ those guys?"

Finn and his friend each gave me an odd look. "They're the ones who are behind all this", the former replied as if I was supposed to know what he was talking about.

"Behind all what?" I wondered.

Finn gave me another odd look.

"Well, I hope that device didn't fall off", the sports car commented as she turned Mater's seat around, taking the attention off me.

What was this device they kept talking about? When the back of Mater's seat disappeared, I could see some kind of green electronic device stuck to his undercarriage.

"What is that?" I wondered. _And how did it get there?_ I wondered in my head.

Once again, I never got an answer. The sports car just yanked it off the tow truck's undercarriage.

"Still in one piece!" she announced. "Great! Downloading the photo now!"

While we were waiting, she introduced herself as Holley Shiftwell. So, now that we knew each other's names, I was hoping someone would tell me what was going on.

Out of nowhere, all of the windows inside the cabin closed and it became very dark.

"Finally!" Finn announced. "Time to see who's behind all this!"

Projected between us was a photo that didn't look like anything. For a moment, everyone just studied it with confusion.

"What _is_ this?" Holley questioned, puzzled.

"Well", Mater began, tilting slightly, "that's one of the worst engines ever made."

I tilted my head to the side too before Holley rotated the image in front of us. Okay! _Now_ , it looked like an engine.

"It's an old aluminium V8 with a Lucas electrical system and Whitworth bolts", Mater went on, telling them everything he knew.

I nodded in agreement. I had extremely vague knowledge of what Mater was talking about. While my mechanical knowledge was mostly limited to race cars, I knew a fair bit about other cars as well. Whitworth bolts were a pain, which was what Mater was telling Finn and Holley now. They were tremendously difficult to unscrew.

Holley nodded. "Yes. Okay, right. But... whose engine _is_ this, Mater?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to tell from this picture, ain't it?" Mater pointed out.

"But you're the one who took it!" Holley persisted.

"Wait!" I exclaimed. "What?" One of two things was going on here: Either these British spy cars thought we were someone else or this was some kind of crazy prank.

Nobody questioned my confusion, though, because Finn was reminding Holley of one of the most important lessons of being a spy.

"A good agent gets what he can, then gets out before he's killed", Holley recited. "Sorry."

"Agent?" Mater blinked. "You mean like insurance agent?"

I fought the urge to groan. Mater could be so slow sometimes. Normally, it didn't bother me because he had so many other great qualities, but there were also times, like now, where it bothered me. I guess that was partly because I was irritable of being left in the dark over everything that had happened on this trip and partly because I hadn't exactly been the easiest person to deal with since Doc's death.

"Wait!" Mater exclaimed. "You mean secret agents! You guys is spies!"

 _Congratulations, Mater!_ I thought sarcastically. _You got there in the end!_ What did he _think_ was going on all this time?

"Holley, in how many makes and models did this type of engine appear?" Finn wanted to know.

"It was standard in seven models over a twelve year period", she reported after searching it up on some kind of computer. "At least... thirty-five thousand cars were made with this engine."

"Oh, boy", I muttered, knowing that that didn't exactly narrow things down.

It was clear that Holley and Finn expected Mater and me to help them; although I had absolutely no idea how we were going to do that when we didn't know the first thing about being spies. I felt like I was going in for a test I hadn't studied for. It was also clear that the photo hadn't helped the agents either. It was meant to have answers, but instead, held more questions. Mater's attempts to flirt with Holley certainly weren't helping matters either.

Luckily, the tow truck managed to make himself useful, which is more than I could say for myself. He spotted some rare parts in the corner of the photo that were next to impossible to get hold of.

"That's something we could track!" Finn realised happily right before light returned to the cabin. "Well done, Mater! I would never have seen that!" He had a plan. "I know of a black market parts dealer in Paris. He's the only car in the world who could tell us whose engine this is."

I liked the sound of that.

"Mater, Fudge", Finn addressed us. "What would you say to setting up an informal task force on this one?"

Neither one of us had any idea what he was talking about.

"Mater, _you_ obviously have plenty of experience in the field."

"Well, yeah, I live right next to one!" Mater informed him, making me giggle.

"And, Fudge", Finn went on, "perhaps you don't have as much experience, but you are working alongside who I am sure is one of your finest agents. Just keep that in mind and apply what you learned in the academy and I'm sure you'll be fine."

All right. This had gone far enough. "We're not who you think we are!" I blurted out.

"Right", Finn responded as if he understood, but he didn't! "You know, I have to say you two have one of the most brilliant covers I've ever seen!" He looked Mater up and down, beaming with praise. "The detail on that rust!" He beamed at me. "And you. You look just like a real child. How on Earth did you manage that?!"

"Because I _am_ a real child!" I insisted.

But Finn didn't believe me! I remembered being a small (well, small _er_ ; I've always been quite small) child , eating breakfast or dinner at Flo's and listening to the adults having a conversation about politics or something like that. I'd never have any idea what they were talking about. Now, _I_ was the only one making sense.

"What do you say?" Finn urged.

"I don't know, Finn", Mater answered. "I ain't exactly been much help to anybody recently."

"Yeah, and I haven't been any help to anybody ever!" I chimed in, recalling all of those times I got in the way during races, how many times I dropped dishes while washing up with Flo and many other accidents I'd had. When Finn saw how clumsy I was, he was going to be sorry he'd ever asked me to be involved in this mission. Hey! Being me was finally going to pay off!

"You're helping _me_!" Finn insisted and I noticed that he was looking at Mater when he said that. I tried not to let it get to me, but I have to admit, I was a little hurt. "Please."

Mater and I looked at each other.

"Well.." the tow truck began thoughtfully.

Was he _seriously_ considering this? The only idea of this whole thing that appealed to me was seeing Paris! I'd always wanted to go to Paris! Everything else- being part of a frickin' _spy mission!_ \- seemed like a terrible idea to me! We could get kidnapped, tortured or killed. Maybe even all of the above! If Finn and Holley knew we weren't spies, they'd probably agree with me. Besides, what if Luigi, Guido or Lightning tried to call home, wanting to talk to us, only to find out we weren't there! All that would do was send them into a huge panic.

I took a deep breath, trying to gather up my courage to tell Finn, as politely as I could, that there was some kind of mistake; we weren't spies. I was sure they'd let us go. Then they'd have two choices, I decided: take us back to Tokyo (I didn't believe the others had left for the second race in Italy yet, but we'd have to hurry) or Radiator Springs. I didn't really mind which one if the whole mistaken identity thing got cleared up.

However, before I could tell Finn any of that, I heard Mater's voice. "Well... Okay."

" _What_?!" I exploded before I could stop myself. Hold on one dad-gum second! Didn't _I_ get a say in this?

"But you know I'm just a tow truck right?" Mater continued.

"And that _I'm_ just a kid!" I added. I was gonna say it as many times as it took for them to get the message.

Finn smiled. " _Right_. And I'm just in the import-export business!"

 _He doesn't get it_ , I thought to myself miserably.

And that's how I found myself on my way to Paris.


	21. P4: Secret Meeting, Explosion, Disguise

**_Cars 2_ is gonna be on TV tonight where I live, so this chapter and the one after it are to celebrate!**

 **Several times in this story, I couldn't think of a good chapter name, so I'd just list three things that appear in it, even if they aren't always significant! XD**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5- A Secret Meeting, an Explosion and a Disguise**

"Hey, Finn?" I began as the jet, who turned out to be named Siddeley, activated his afterburners and hurtled us towards Paris.

Finn looked my way. "Yes?"

"What _are_ these people doing?" I wondered. "You know, that Gremlin and Pacer and the rainbow-haired woman-"

"Don't you know?" Finn asked me, puzzled.

"No", I responded. "Because I-"

"So, you don't know what they were planning to do with the camera?"

"Camera?" I repeated. "What camera?"

"The camera on the oil platform", Finn explained as if this cleared everything up. Before I could ask, _What camera? What oil platform?_ , he continued. "We believe they are somehow sabotaging the World Grand Prix. We aren't entirely sure what the camera does as of yet." He glanced over at my brother, thinking that he was a master spy and I was just a rookie. "Perhaps you had better luck, Mater?"

"With what?" Mater questioned, just as confused as I'd been.

"So, those explosions during the race!" I blurted out, remembering that it had happened to three race cars. "Would they have been because someone's sabotaging the race?"

"We believe so", Holley piped up. "We can't confirm that just yet. We don't have enough evidence."

I nodded, but I was worried about Lightning. If someone was trying to sabotage the race, did that mean he was in danger? Was he going to be okay?

I decided that the answer to both of those questions was yes.

" _Finn?_ " came Siddeley's voice before I was able to think about that for too long. " _We_ _will now be beginning our descent into Paris._ "

Finn nodded. "Excellent. Thank you, Siddeley."

I looked out the window of the plane and I could see that we were soaring right past the Eiffel Tower!

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "The Eiffel Tower! Look at that, Mater!"

"Dad-gum!" he exclaimed softly.

* * *

Although we weren't there for recreational reasons, I couldn't resist looking around at all of the amazing sights of Paris and snapping some photos on the drive towards this parts dealer who could tell us whose engine was in the photo.

"My informant", Finn had called him.

I even took a moment to voice my concerns to Mater. He seemed to understand and he promised he wouldn't let anything happen to me, which put me a little more at ease.

Mater was determined to look and act the part of a secret agent as much as he could. With me still in this truck bed, he was darting from one spot to the other, trying to remain hidden.

"Fudge, get down!" he hissed to me.

But Finn and Holley didn't seem too worried about staying hidden, so I didn't either. Mater's behaviour was making it hard for me to listen to Finn's instructions. I was only able to catch snippets of them.

"Once we're inside, stay close", I heard him instruct Holley. "Don't bother..." I couldn't hear what the end of that sentence was. "They're all dodgy here."

Holley gave a response, but I couldn't hear that either.

"Don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone", Finn went on, "and absolutely, positively no..." I missed the end of _that_ sentence too. "Are we clear?" Absolutely positively no what? I had no idea and I sure hoped I wouldn't mess it up and do whatever it was. (I later found out that it was no idling, but I didn't know that at the time.)

Finn turned around. "Mater? Fudge?"

"Yeah, Finn?" we chorused.

"We're not here to go shopping!"

I knew. Boy, did I know!

"Parts for sale!" everyone at this market place was shouting as Finn, Holley and Mater drove past. "Parts for sale!" One even looked at me. "Parts for-" he began before giving an embarrassed laugh. "Right!"

There was just about everything for cars in this market. There was even one car who had her eyes in her headlights! She was really creepy and I was relieved to no end when Mater rushed away from her. I wondered where Finn's informant could be.

It seemed as though Finn had found him by the time Mater and I rounded the corner. I could see him keeping a close eye on two cars having a conversation. One struck me as odd. He was dark blue and only had three wheels! I couldn't tell if it was him or the car he was talking to whom Finn wanted.

"Mater, get back!" Finn hissed.

But it was too late. The three-wheeled car looked our way and shot off. Finn was quick to chase him. Holley, Mater and I tried to keep up with Finn.

When Mater and I finally _did_ catch up, the first thing I saw was Holley electrocuting the three-wheeled car, who had crashed into a nearby stall.

Finn jumped in front of her. "Have you lost your mind?"

"But I thought-" Holley started to protest.

"Mater!" Finn cut her off, his voice filled with its usual authority. "This chap needs a tow! Hook him up!"

Mater brightened. "Well, sure thing!"

Only, the three-wheeled car didn't seem all that thrilled at the idea of being towed.

"You rusty piece of junk!" he yelled. "Get your dirty hook off me!" He also let loose some violent French, which I did not understand at all.

I stared at that guy with wide eyes. I wouldn't exactly be in a good mood if I'd just been electrocuted either, but he was scaring me, especially when he raised his voice at _me_!

"Why are you staring?!" he demanded, making my heart thump. "Why must children always stare?! Have you never seen a French car get electrocuted before?!" He switched to his native tongue, but his rant was still directed at me.

I ran to catch up with Finn, which wasn't easy to do. "How come he only has three wheels?" I wondered. I'd never seen a car with three wheels before.

Finn gave me an odd look. "Haven't you ever been to Europe before, Fudge?"

"I've been to Italy", I answered.

"I can hear you!" the three-wheeled car shouted. "You children! Stick your bumpers and noses in where they don't belong!" This was followed by more French.

I sighed. My spy career wasn't going too well so far.

* * *

"Electroshock?!" the French car shouted at Finn as soon as the five of us were alone in a garage. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Easy, Tomber", Finn tried to calm him down. "This is her first field assignment. She didn't know you were my informant."

So, we'd found him! As it turned out, Finn and Tomber went way back. Finn even saved Tomber from doing twenty to life in a Moroccan impound!

"All right! We get it!" Holley interrupted them finally. "You both know each other, you're both old."

I giggled. Tomber, on the other tyre, wasn't so amused.

"So, there you go, informant!" Holley projected the image of the engine. " _Inform us_!"

Tomber made a face and a disgusted noise when he saw it. "That is the worst motor ever made!" He was silent for a moment as he studied the photo. "Wait. That oil filter, those wheel bearings..."

"Do those parts look familiar, Tomber?" Finn questioned.

"They should", Tomber responded. "I sold them."

"To whom?" Holley asked.

Tomber had no idea. "He's my best customer, but he always does his business over the phone", he explained. "I was always wondering why he needs so many parts. Now, I know."

"Well, a Lemon needs parts", Mater chimed in. "Ain't nothin' truer than that."

Tomber and I nodded in agreement.

"Lemon?" Finn repeated, puzzled.

"Yeah, you know, cars that don't ever work right", he clarified. "Like them Gremlins and Pacers we run into at the party and the race and the airport."

As all of this was going on, I felt guilty and kind of useless. I knew all of the stuff Mater was saying and yet I didn't say it! How was it Mater was being useful and I wasn't?

"Holley! Pull up those pictures from the oil platform!" Finn requested. "I want to know what other types of cars were out there."

Holley did as she was told. "Right. Let's see... There were Hugos... and Trunkovs."

"Mater, are these cars considered Lemons?" Finn wanted to know.

"Is the Popemobile Catholic?"

"Finn, everyone involved in this plot is one of history's biggest loser cars!" Holley realised.

"And they're all taking their orders from the car behind this engine", Finn chimed in.

I thought of something too. "Wait a sec!" Everyone's eyes turned to me. "They're all history's biggest loser cars." I didn't feel comfortable saying this; I believed that Lemon cars were people, regardless of how faulty their parts were. "And they're cars who don't ever work right. Don't you think that could be a..." I'd lost the word wanted. "What's the word?"

"Motive?" Finn guessed.

That was the word I was looking for! "After all, they're targeting race cars! Who obviously work right! Maybe they're jealous or something!" I really felt like I was onto something.

Finn seemed to be considering this. "I suppose it's possible", he mused and I was glad to hear him say that. "Especially looking at this engine." He sighed. "Life made him a Lemons. So, he's made Lemons his aid."

Tomber's eyes widened. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "This explains it!"

"What, Tomber?" Finn wondered.

"Gremlin, Pacer, Hugo and Trunkov _never_ get together", he explained, "but they are having a secret meeting in two days."

"Where's this meeting taking place?" Finn wanted to know.

"Porto Corsa, Italy."

"That's where the next race is!" Mater noted.

"On the same day too!" I realised. "Which makes sense if they're trying to sabotage the race!"

"Right. Then there's a good chance our mystery engine will be there too", Finn thought out loud.

"Your chances are more than good", Tomber confirmed. "I just sent him a new clutch assembly yesterday to Porto Corsa."

"Holley! Contact Stephenson and have him meet us at Gare de Lyon", Finn instructed. Glancing at Mater and Tomber, he added, "Good work."

Once again, I couldn't help feeling just a little bit hurt. I wondered if I was ever going to do anything to impress Finn.

* * *

Everyone's spirits went up, knowing that we had a lead. Even so, Finn was a little disappointed that we couldn't head to Porto Corsa till the next day. Reluctantly, he agreed that we should try to relax for the night. So, we all headed off to a nearby coffee shop and before long, we were all devouring pastries and sipping hot drinks. For a while, I found myself becoming a lot more relaxed. However, it wasn't about to last.

I remember it vividly. We were just chatting about the mission in hushed voices.

"If we is goin' to Porto Corsa, maybe I can talk to McQueen!" Mater suggested. "He's my best friend in the whole wide world! We done had a fight."

"Wait." Holley sounded utterly confused. "You mean-"

"It's his cover", Finn interrupted.

Okay. Now was another chance to correct him. "You know... We're not actually-"

Normally, if Mater or I tried to correct them, we would get interrupted. This time, however, I just stopped talking myself when I saw who had just come into the coffee shop.

"Oh, my God!" I gasped, ducking under the table.

"What is it?" Finn demanded. He sounded a little annoyed and a lot unsympathetic.

"I think my stalker's here!"

"Your stalker?" Finn echoed, now sounding unimpressed, doubtful and still unsympathetic.

"Yeah. Her." I pointed out the rainbow-haired woman who had just come in.

"What makes you think she's a stalker?" Finn questioned in that exact same tone.

"She's been following me a lot in Japan!" I explained. "She tried to shoot me-"

"Holley!" Finn cut me off. "Let me see those photos from the oil platform again!"

So, she did. In one of the photos, I could see there was that very same woman. So, she _was_ working with those Lemons to sabotage the race! I thought everyone involved in this plot was a Lemon car. Why was she with them? Those were several of the questions going around in my head. The others and I voiced several others.

"What is she doing here?" That was Holley.

"How did she know we were here?" That was me.

"Is she alone?" was Finn's question.

It looked like she was. Only for about a second, though. That was all it took for several Gremlins and Pacers to start streaming in. Nervously, I peeked out of my spot under the table to see what was going on. The sight of Finn pulling out his gun made me feel a little safer.

My heart pounded as I feared what they would do. It didn't look like they were up to much. The cars ordered coffee, one of them used the bathroom and they left. The human, though, ordered a coffee and sat down with it. It was a little odd, but not so terrible. I wondered if I should come out from under the table. Then I remembered the human was still there. Oh, God! She was coming this way!

"What do we do?" I whispered to Finn.

He didn't answer me.

The woman was about to speak, but before she could, there was a loud scream. Everyone turned to face a maroon French car tearing out of the bathroom and nearly crashing into a waiter. Obviously, the waiter wasn't too pleased and let this car know it. The maroon car yelled out one word that launched a mass hysteria. Everyone made a rush for the exits.

"What did he say?!" I demanded, crawling out from under the table. "What's going on?!"

"We need to get everyone out of here!" Finn insisted. " _Now_!"

I was quick to stagger to my feet. Finn made the rest of us stand by the door to make sure everyone got out safely. By then, I had a good guess about what was going on and I was panicking. I knew Finn wouldn't let me show it, but I was in hysterics on the inside (and probably the outside). I wanted to make sure I- and everyone else- got out in time. Everyone except maybe that human woman. _Maybe_.

"Is that everyone?" Holley demanded once every last visible person had gotten through the doors.

"What about the chefs?!" Finn quizzed us.

"Maybe there's a back door!" I cried, hoping that that was the case.

"I'll go and see!" Finn announced. "The rest of you, get out!"

"Finn-" Holley began.

"Just do it!" he insisted.

I was torn. On one hand, I didn't want to leave Finn. On the other hand, I was terrified. Despite what Finn and Holley thought, I wasn't a secret agent. I was a young girl of eleven, a child. I wasn't cut out to be a secret agent. How could I just be okay and act cool, calm and collected like Finn in these situations? Well, maybe it would show Finn that I wasn't who he thought I was.

Reluctantly, Holley ushered Mater and me out the doors of the café and was quick to follow us while Finn went around the back. I ran as fast as I could, but only for about two seconds. That was all it took for a deafening boom to sound behind me.

I'm not entirely sure how, but I remember finding myself lying down on the ground in front of the coffee shop when the explosion came. Glass was blown right above my head and flames were pouring out of the building where the windows once were. My fear of fire has been covered several times; now combine that with my fear of loud noises and I'm sure you can understand that I was petrified. I lay on the ground, frozen in shock until I heard a familiar voice.

"Fudge!" Mater wrapped his tow hook around my hand. "C'mon!"

Shaking in fear, I staggered to my feet and took off, albeit very wobbly.

"Over here!" I heard Holley's voice come from somewhere ahead of me.

I followed her voice. She and Mater were waiting for me a safe distance away, huddled with a bunch of other café patrons, who were watching in shock as the café was devoured by flames. As I approached them, something made me feel like I had to turn around. So, I did. Immediately, I wished I hadn't. It was all so awful. I could see the silhouettes of chairs and tables in flames, leaving very little of them left. My heart was beating so fast that I felt like I was going to pass out.

"Are you okay?" Mater quizzed me worriedly.

"Yeah..." I answered, even though I really wasn't. "Are you?"

"Yeah... I'm fine." He didn't sound fine either.

"Where's Finn?!" Holley's panicked voice called out.

He hadn't come back yet? I glanced around fearfully. No. He wasn't here!

"Oh, no!" I wailed fearfully.

"We have to do something!" Holley insisted, taking charge all of a sudden. "We can't just leave him in there!"

I knew she was right. I just hadn't wanted to be the one to go in there. Though, I had no choice. Reluctantly, I followed Holley and Mater into the inferno.

I don't think I'd ever been more scared in my entire life. Flames surrounded me as they ate through the ceiling and sent parts of it crashing to the ground, still ablaze. I had a couple of close calls with the burning debris from the ceiling nearly falling on me several times. It was horrifying to watch it all happen so close and be amongst it. Plus, it was hard to avoid breathing in the thick and heavy smoke, which blinded me too. My face was dripping with sweat and the temperature seemed to rise with every step I took. It was all too much. I wanted to get out of there, but I couldn't.

"Fudge!" I heard Mater call my name somewhere ahead of me, but I couldn't see him through all the smoke.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"Where is you?!"

"Behind you!" All of a sudden, I bumped into his truck bed and I felt a little better, knowing that he was there.

"There you are!" the tow truck exclaimed. "We gotta find Finn!"

"Finn!" I hollered. " **FINN!** "

"I'm over here!" I heard him shout back.

I could tell his voice was somewhere in front of me and to my left. Right. Now, I knew where he was. _Let's just save him and get out of here!_ I thought.

I only just made out Finn's face amidst the smoke and flames. There was a large wall of orange between me and Finn. With the ceiling caving in, there seemed to be no way out.

Finn, of course, always had an idea. "This is a kitchen!" he pointed out. "There should be a fire extinguisher somewhere!"

Mater, Holley and I split up to look for one. The last thing I wanted to do was go off on my own, but we had to if we wanted to find that fire extinguisher.

"I found it!" Mater yelled from behind the curtain of smoke.

Before I had a chance to react, foam was fired in all directions. I was relieved to see the flames die down just a little bit. It was enough to free Finn and allow all four of us to escape through the back door, which I had only just noticed was left wide open. I presumed the chefs had fled out that door as Mater, Holley, Finn and I did just then.

I don't know if it was just because I was scared and eager to get out of there, but I swear the door felt like it was miles away. Every time I took a step, it felt like it slid slightly further away.

"Mater?!" I called out fearfully.

"Fudge!" he yelled. "C'mon!"

Once again, I felt his tow hook grab hold of my hand and pull me through the smoke-filled kitchen. I seemed to move a little faster with Mater there, though. The door was right in front of me. Just two more steps. One...

My first burst of fresh air felt so good. I didn't have much time to focus on it, though. We still needed to get a good distance away. So, I just ran, still holding on to Mater's tow hook. I ran until he stopped along with Finn and Holley. All four of us were coughing and gasping for breath.

"is everyone all right?" Finn wanted to know once he got his voice back.

"Yes", Holley replied.

"Yeah", Mater added.

"Yeah, I guess", I chimed in. Physically, I was okay, but mentally, not so much. I seemed to be the only one shaken up by the explosion. "How did _that_ happen?!"

"The Lemons planted a bomb inside the loo", Finn explained. "The only thing I still don't understand is how they knew we were here."

"Paris wasn't even part of the World Grand Prix", Holley reminded the rest of us. "How could they have possibly known?"

I hadn't the slightest idea. At least, not until I went to sweep some hair out of my face. That was when I saw it. _It_ was a greyish-white teardrop-shaped device with a red flashing light planted in my skin, the left hand to be specific. My mind travelled back to the night of the race where that woman had tackled me to the ground and done something to my left hand. She must've put this in there somehow. I had no idea how or what it was.

Finn must've seen the look on my face. "Are you okay?"

"Look at this!" I cried, showing him my hand.

The British car just looked at my hand thoughtfully. "Hmmm... Well, that explains a lot", he commented in an unreadable expression.

"What is it?" I questioned fearfully.

Finn's answer just about made my heart stop beating. "It's a tracking device."

* * *

Sleep did not come easy that night. Well, falling asleep was easy, but _staying_ asleep was the hard part. How could anybody sleep, knowing that there was a tracking device planted in their skin? It was just so creepy! I feared that any second, this rainbow-haired woman and her buddies would come in and get me. I hadn't seen the woman leave the coffee shop, so I was sure she'd been killed in the explosion. At least, I hoped so (I know that's terrible of me to say, but at least I'd feel safe if she had). Still, the Lemons must know where to find me too, wouldn't they? They could quite easily come and take me in the middle of the night. The thought was quite terrifying.

I had nightmares several times during the night about that. Well, that and the explosion. Let me tell you, it took quite a lot of self control to prevent myself from screaming bloody murder every time I woke up. I was supposed to be a spy. I was supposed to be fearless. I wasn't supposed to be bothered by stuff like nightmares.

* * *

Boy, was I relieved when everyone else woke up at sunrise and we could head to Gare de Lyon. Stephenson, the spy bullet train, was waiting for us and we climbed aboard on our way to Porto Corsa. At least watching Lemons drive through the streets of Porto Corsa on Holley's monitor distracted me from my thoughts. There were Lemon cars _everywhere_!

"Boy, I tell you what. That three-wheeled fella had to be right about a big meetin'", Mater commented. "You _never_ see this many Lemons in one town." Then he noticed something. "That's a familiar sight: a Hugo bein' towed. But he looks absolutely perfect!"

"Of course! They must be the heads of the Lemon families", Finn realised.

"Makes sense!" Mater agreed. "If I was rich and broke down every day, I'd hire me to tow me around all the time too!"

"We've _got_ to infiltrate that meeting", Finn proclaimed determinedly. "It's the only way to find out who's behind all this."

"Yeah, but how?" I wanted to know. I had never heard the word _infiltrate_ before, but I could guess what it meant. I sure hoped _I_ didn't have to infiltrate the meeting.

"Hang on a minute!" Holley exclaimed brightly. "Hold still!" She snapped a picture of Mater and uploaded it into the computer. She put the image of Mater over the top of the red and blue European tow truck towing the Hugo.

"Ah ha!" Finn exclaimed. "Good job, Miss Shiftwell."

"Thank you, Finn."

"We'll need a disguise program", Finn informed her.

"I'm on it!" Holley got to work.

"Wait!" I jumped in. "You're gonna send _Mater_ in there! That sounds really dangerous." It sounded beyond dangerous. They were sending Mater- my innocent, naïve, clumsy tow truck brother- into a meeting with some of the most evil criminals in the world.

"I'm sure it's nothing Mater can't handle, Fudge", Finn pointed out.

"I know, but-"

"Boy, I sure wish my friends could see me now!" Mater grinned.

I groaned. Why was I always interrupted when I tried to tell them the truth?

"Me too", I muttered, scared by everything that was happening, frustrated that I hadn't been able to convince Finn and Holley that we weren't spies and sad because I missed my family. This was the longest I'd been away from Guido and Luigi.

"They ain't gon' believe it, is they, Fudge?"

"I'm right here and I don't believe it", I responded softly.

* * *

I think Finn sensed how nervous I was because, while Holley was busy working on Mater's disguise, he took me aside.

"This must be a difficult mission to have as your first", he began. "This is one of the biggest missions even _I've_ ever worked on. And I've been in the business probably since before you were born."

"Yeah..." That comment put me slightly more at ease. Only slightly, though. I was about to tell Finn the truth, but he kept talking.

"Still, you're going to have to overcome your nervousness", he explained bluntly. There was a mixture of sympathy and reprimand in his voice. "I understand that it can be rather difficult in the field for the first time. The academy is not at all like the real thing, but you can't let it get in the way of the mission."

So, he knew how nervous I was.

"Do you understand that?"

I nodded because I really did understand. "I do. It's just that-"

"Good." Finn gave a nod. "Now, why don't we see how Holley's going?"

I threw my arms up in frustration. How many times must I try to say it before they get the picture?

* * *

I waited for a long time to see what Holley was doing with Mater's disguise. I wondered how long it would take. A long time, it seemed. I got bored with waiting and was so happy to hear Holley's voice.

"Yeah, I think that should just about do it", Holley announced, satisfied as she fastened Mater's cab light back into place.

"Perfect", Finn declared.

"This I _have_ to see!" I announced excitedly, jumping to my feet.

"So, Mater", Holley explained, "it's voice-activated. But, you know, _everything_ is voice-activated these days."

"What?" Mater questioned, puzzled. "I thought you was supposed to be makin' me a dee-scize." _Dee-scize_ was Mater's way of pronouncing _disguise_.

" _Voice recognised_ ", a female computerised voice reacted to his voice. " _Disguise program_ _initiated_."

With those words, Mater was gone and replaced with the red and blue tow truck we'd seen on the monitor.

"It worked!" I marvelled.

"Ha, ha!" Mater laughed. " _Cool_!"

Typical Mater decided to have some fun with his new disguise program, changing into everything he could think of- a German truck, a taco truck and funny car, to name a few.

"That is _awesome_!" I laughed.

I think Finn was amused as well, but must've thought enough was enough. He turned the program off and switched Mater back into the red and blue tow truck.

"The idea is to keep a low profile, Mater", he informed him.

"So, I just go in and pretend to be this truck", Mater wanted to clarify.

"And leave the rest to us", Finn confirmed.

"Now, hold still", Holley ordered. "First, I have to do the final fitting on your disguise."

That wasn't an easy thing to do with all of Mater's dents in the way. Holley brought out some kind of electric tool to take care of that.

"Hey. What are you doin'?" Mater demanded, moving out of the tool's path. "For a second there, I thought you was tryin' to fix my dents."

"Yes I was."

"Well, then no thank you", the tow truck told her firmly, but politely. "I don't get them dents buffed, pulled, filled or painted by nobody. They is way too valuable."

I smiled. I'd heard Mater's dent speech before.

Holley's eyes widened. "Your dents are valuable? Really?"

Mater nodded. "I come by each one of 'em with my best friend, Lightnin' McQueen. I don't fix these. I wanna remember these dents forever."

"So... you were being serious in Paris", Holley realised. "McQueen isn't just part of your cover."

"He isn't-" I began.

"Friendships can be dangerous in our line of work, Mater", Finn put in seriously.

"But _my_ line of work is towin' and salvage!" Mater insisted.

"Right." Finn gave a wink. "And Miss Shiftwell's is designing iPhone apps."

"No, I meant for real!"

"No, no, no! It's okay!" Holley interrupted. "Say no more! I'll work around the dent."

Of course. We always got interrupted. Mater was clearly as frustrated as I was.

"In the meantime", Finn changed the subject. He flipped a switch to make the walls turn around. There were powerful weapons as far as the eye could see.

My eyes widened. "Whoa..."

"You both look a little light on weapons."


	22. P4: An Idiot, a Crash and Rainbow Hair

**In case you didn't notice, there is another chapter before this one.**

 **Chapter 6- An Idiot, a Crash and Rainbow Hair**

Porto Corsa was exactly how I remembered it. (I'd been several times with Luigi and Guido as it was not too far away from the village where they grew up.) Normally, I loved coming to Italy, but I had a feeling I wouldn't enjoy it so much this time. Unless, I could somehow find a way to get back to my family and convince Finn and Holley that Mater and I weren't spies. Oh, if only.

Finn had the plan all worked out. Holley would pretend her grandfather had broken down and needed a tow (Holley was the best one for the job because the Lemons had proven to be attracted to pretty girls). She would lead the tow truck (we found out his name was Ivan) away to allow Mater to come in and pretend to be Ivan during the meeting. Like I said, it was beyond dangerous, but nobody seemed as concerned as I was. Finn and Holley were quite convinced that Mater knew what he was doing and as for Mater, I'm sure he was nervous, but he also saw this whole thing as an adventure.

I followed Finn to a nearby café, overlooking the racetrack where we would watch everything that was happening. Holley was in front of the casino where the meeting would be taking place, talking to the pack of Hugos while Mater waited around the corner. We were ready to go. I patted the inside of my denim jacket where I'd hidden the gun Finn gave me. That's right. I had a gun. I didn't want it, but if I got into trouble (especially with the stalker after me), I could defend myself. I was much happier with the other thing Finn gave me: a watch with all kinds of functions. It had a radio, a computer, a knife, magnets and a recording device in it. That was pretty cool. Besides, I missed having my magnets on me. They were in my luggage when Mater and I were supposed to head home after the Tokyo race.

"Get ready, Mater", Finn radioed to my brother. "You're on any moment now."

" _I don't know about this, Finn_ ", my brother replied doubtfully. " _What if I screw things up?_ "

"Impossible!" the British spy car assured him. "Just apply the same level of dedication you've been using to play the idiot tow truck and you'll be fine."

No! Finn just called Mater an idiot? This was bad.

" _Well, it's just that them guys look purty tough and-_ " Mater stopped abruptly, registering what Finn had said. " _Wait. Did you say_ idiot _? Is that how you see me?_ " The hurt was obvious in Mater's voice.

Finn sure wasn't helping with his next words. "That's how _everyone_ sees you. Isn't that the idea? No one realises they're being fooled because they're too busy laughing _at_ the fool."

I wanted to yell at Finn to stop talking, but I just couldn't do that.

"Mater-" I tried to comfort my brother.

I don't know why I ever bothered speaking when all I did was get interrupted. Holley had just knocked out Ivan by electrocuting him.

" _Why aren't you in disguise?_ " I heard her shout at Mater.

" _I, uh..._ " He didn't know what to say.

" _Come on! There's no time!_ Go _!_ "

" _Okay, okay! Computer, disguise!_ " Mater ordered.

" _Request acknowledged!_ "

"Good luck!" I shouted, praying that my brother would be safe.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. My heart felt like it was going to tear right through my chest when Holley pulled up and reported, "He's in."

* * *

I was glad that I wasn't the one in the casino, infiltrating the meeting, but I was worried about Mater. I wished there was something I could do for him. Maybe there wasn't anything I could do to prevent him from getting into trouble or help him if he did (Holley and Finn _could_ , though), but perhaps I could get evidence. Plus, this meeting could have evidence of their sabotaging the race. I found the recording device Holley put in my watch and turned it on. Maybe it would pick up some valuable information.

"Do you need me to do anything?" I asked Finn.

"Why don't you watch the race?" he suggested. "Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I'm sure you can do that?"

I nodded. It was clear Finn was giving me a simple job to do because I lacked confidence. Not that I minded; I'm sure you know by now how much I love racing.

" _Wow!_ " I heard Mater exclaim, looking around the casino. " _This place looks like it's_ _made out of gold!_ "

"That's because it is, Mater", Holley explained. "Now, be careful what you say."

" _Why's that?_ " the tow truck wondered.

"Because you could easily create suspicion in a situation like this. Just... don't talk to us."

" _What do you mean 'don't talk to you?_ '"

"I _mean_ don't talk to us! This is exactly how you can create suspicion!"

" _So, you want me to stop talking to you?_ "

" _Yes_!" Holley wasn't even trying to hide her exasperation anymore.

" _Right now?_ "

" _Mater_! The _Hugos_ are looking at you!"

That was my first sign that things weren't gonna go well.

My second sign was the sight of the cars in the large room where the meeting was being held. Information flashed up on Holley's computer, labelling all of them as very dangerous. The only one not dangerous was the human waitress, who was bustling around the room, making sure every little detail was perfect.

" _Is the Big Boss here yet?_ " the Hugo leader wanted to know.

" _No. Not yet_ ", the Trunkov leader replied.

" _He's s'posed to be here any minute_ ", a beige Pacer chimed in.

As if on cue, there was a bunch of loud bangs and beeps. Everyone had their eyes fixed on those doors, waiting for the Big Boss to make his entrance. I was as curious as everyone else to see who it was.

"Here we go", Finn murmured.

When the doors opened, there was a small, teal, box-shaped microcar, sporting a monocle. The anticipation leaked out of everyone like air out of a tyre.

"Guten tag", the microcar greeted his fellows and I realised he was German.

" _Ah, it's just the professor_ ", the Pacer groaned, visibly disappointed.

" _Professor Zündapp_ ", Finn muttered darkly.

"I'm guessing this isn't the guy we want?" I guessed. Everyone seemed to know who this was except me.

"No. I know who Professor Zündapp is", Finn responded. "He's dangerous, all right, but he's not the one who's behind all this."

I still didn't know anything about this guy, so I looked him up on my watch computer. "German weapon designer", I muttered, talking more to myself than anybody else.

"Yes", Finn confirmed. "He'll work for just about anyone as long as they pay the right price."

"Must be a rich guy doing all this then", I commented. "If he can afford all those parts _and_ to pay someone who obviously wants a lot of money."

" _Zündapp, when is he coming?_ " the Hugo leader questioned.

" _He's already here_ ", Zündapp answered as he entered the room and a TV screen appeared at the head of the room. On the screen, there was the engine from the photo.

" _Welcome, everyone_ ", he opened his speech in a deep, disguised voice. " _I wish I could be_ _with you on this very special day, but my clutch assembly broke. You know how it is._ "

His audience grumbled their agreement. These cars all shared that problem.

"His clutch assembly broke?" I repeated quietly. "That's why Tomber sent him a new one."

Finn nodded, but I don't think he was really listening to me. I can't blame him, though. I wasn't contributing anything useful. "Descramble that voice!" he instructed Holley.

"I'm trying!" she groaned. "It's too sophisticated!"

Finn turned to me. "I'm going to need you to do some research for me. Look through the tracking devices and find out who this car is."

I was quick to access a map of the world, lit up with codes for each tracking device. (In case you care, my code was S1573R.) "Finn, there are _thousands_ here!" I groaned.

"We can narrow it down", Finn informed me. "We believe this car is in Porto Corsa and most of the cars in the meeting have tracking devices. So, look for codes in Porto Corsa that aren't part of a huge group.

I was only half-listening to the Big Boss's speech because I was busy looking through the tracking devices. He was talking about how unfairly Lemons have been treated by the world and the terrible names they'd been called. Hearing him list them, I felt a pang of guilt when he included _Lemon_. I never realised that it was offensive. After all, Otis and several other Lemons I've met have all called themselves that, so I didn't see anything wrong with it.

Even though I wasn't really listening to his speech, I was quick to pay attention when I heard a loud bang come from the racetrack. I gasped as I saw Brazilian racer Carla Veloso's engine had just exploded! I, like thousands- maybe even millions of people- across the world could only watch in horror as she crashed into the wall.

"What just happened?!" Finn demanded.

"I'm working on it!" Holley announced.

A second later, I heard another bang.

"Oh, no!" I cried.

This time, it was Nigel Gearsley of the UK. The exact same thing happened! His engine exploded and he crashed into the wall.

"Holley!" Finn urged.

"I'm detecting an extremely strong electromagnetic pulse!" she reported. There was a pause. "Finn! It's the camera!"

"Where?" the Faultless GT demanded.

"On the tower!"

That was all she needed to say. Finn was off.

" _This was meant to be alternative fuel's greatest moment!_ " the mastermind went on gleefully. " _But after today, everyone will race back to gasoline! And we, the owners of the_ _world's largest untapped oil reserve will become the most powerful cars in the world!_ "

His followers launched into cheers. I just made a face. I couldn't believe the lengths they were going to just to become rich and powerful! It was downright disgusting!

" _Fudge!_ " Finn shouted at me through the radio. " _How's the research going?_ "

"You were right, Finn!" I proclaimed. "There are _heaps_ of codes in Porto Corsa. Most of them are in that one area, but there _are_ a couple that aren't."

" _Which ones aren't?_ " he wanted to know.

"S1573R. Oh, wait. That's me", I recalled. "LMQ95 and FHH51, but they're on the tower..." I looked to see if there were any more not part of that big group. There was only one. "A113."

Wouldn't you know it? At that moment, I caught sight of the engine on Holley's monitor shifting. _He_ was wearing a tracking device and guess what his code was!

" _Where are they?_ " Finn demanded.

"I don't know..."

" _Well, keep looking!_ " the British car instructed me.

"I will!" I promised.

I was going to keep looking, but I got distracted. One of the most awful events in the history of racing occurred right before my very eyes.

" _And they will finally respect us!_ " I heard the Big Boss continue his speech. " _So, hold your_ _hoods high! After today, you will_ never _be ashamed of who you are! Long. Live. **LEMONS!**_ "

With those final words, there was a third almighty boom. Japan's Shu Todoroki's engine exploded and he was sent skidding out of control. To make matters worse, Miguel Camino failed to stop in time and crashed right into him. The same thing happened to Germany's Max Schnell! On top of that, two more racers- French rally car Raoul Caroule and Rip Clutchgoneski of the Republic New Rearendia- couldn't stop in time either, so they slammed into the other three! Thankfully, the final two racers, Lewis Hamilton and Jeff Gorvette, skidded to a halt right before the horrific scene (Lightning and Francesco were way ahead of them and also avoided the pileup).

Everything was dead silent. If it wasn't, I don't think I would've heard it. Above me was the whirring of a helicopter. I don't know why I cared so much, but I found myself glancing up at the helicopter. If I hadn't done _that_ , I never would've _seen_ it. The helicopter had a magnet attached to it. Attached to the magnet was _Finn_!

I gasped. "Holley!"

But Holley had seen. "Finn?!" She turned to me. "Wait here!" She sped off.

I don't know what Holley was doing or where she was going until, while I was still on the hunt for A113, I heard her voice come through my radio. Even though, she was talking to Mater.

" _Abort the mission!_ " she instructed him. " _Get out of there! Get out of there right now!_ "

I heard a gasp.

The last thing I heard was a thick European accent ask, " _How is your grandfather?_ " This was followed by static.

"Holley!" I shouted hysterically. "Holley!"

There was no answer.

"Great!" I groaned. Now, I was all alone in a spy world! "Just brilliant! Mater! What do we do now?!"

I didn't get an answer from him either. I knew he was still there. He just couldn't talk to me while he was still in the meeting. I hoped he'd follow Holley's instructions and get out of-

* * *

A hand clapped itself over my mouth. The owner of the hand was strong and they were able to lift me onto my feet. For a moment, I was too shocked to do anything. Then I gathered up my courage to tilt my head back, so I could get a good look at this person.

It was the innocent-looking waitress from the casino. She looked slightly different, though. Her hair had once been in a neat bun, but was now tumbling over her shoulders and she'd put on a black leather jacket. However, she wasn't done changing her appearance. As it turns out, her dark brown hair was just a wig. Her real hair... well, it was still dark brown, but a lighter shade of dark brown. Even worse, the bottom half was dyed just about every colour of the rainbow!

I guess I was filled with adrenaline. I just reacted without thinking about it. I bit her hand and elbowed her in the stomach. Even though she was pretty tough, I think she was taken by surprise, which is why I was able to run without her catching up to me.

That was only the case for a little while, though. She was pretty fast and caught up to me after about a minute. Even worse, she had me cornered. There was nowhere to run. This was it. This was how I was going to die. I reached into my jacket, fingering the weapon Finn had given me. I still didn't think I stood much of a chance, but I had to try. I think this woman was surprised to see that I had a gun. She didn't look like she was expecting me to be armed.

"Stop!" she shouted. "I'm not gonna hurt you!"

Yeah, right. She was probably just trying to make me let my guard down.

"I'm sorry", she went on. "I believe there's been a misunderstanding." She whipped out a secret agent badge. "Agent Samantha Rose. Call me Sammy."

"What?" That was the only word that came out of my mouth. I was so confused.

"I'm one of the agents that was supposed to be taking this case", she explained. "My partner was in danger, so he had to ditch the photo and pass it onto your tow truck friend."

Well, that made sense. That is, _if_ she was telling the truth. I wasn't sure. There were so many thoughts and questions swirling around in my brain.

"If you're an agent, then why were you stalking me?"

"Oh, you thought..." To my surprise, Sammy burst out laughing. "Holy Chrysler! Everything's all fu... screwed up, isn't it?" She laughed some more, shaking her head. Then she became serious. "I wasn't _stalking_ you! I was trying to protect you and the tow truck!"

"Why didn't you just _talk_ to us?" I wanted to know, amazed that she hadn't. Again, if all of this was even true. It would've saved us all a lot of trouble.

"I _tried_!" she informed me. "But the area was too compromised. That's why I put the tracking device on you."

"But... but you were working for the Lemons!" I blurted out.

"I was _not_ working for the Lemons!" Sammy corrected me. "Though, for a while, they _thought_ I did."

She told me the whole story. Here is the gist of it: she and her partner- some guy named Rod Redline- sneaked onto the oil platform and pretended to be working for the Lemons, so they could find out about this camera. Luckily, Rod had been able to get a photo of the car who was running the entire operation.

However, on the night of the pre-race party, Rod was caught and had to pass the device onto Mater to prevent the Lemons from getting it. Later on, Sammy was caught too and they were taken to some kind of abandoned warehouse. They filled up Rod's tank with Allinol and demanded to know who had the photo now. Unfortunately, they figured out it was Mater and killed Rod with the camera. (I was horrified to hear that last part; I knew the camera could do some serious damage, but I hadn't known it could kill cars!) Sammy was able to escape, but she had to find Mater, knowing that his life was in danger. Then she realised that _I'd_ been dragged into the whole spy thing too and she had to protect me as well. And she had to do it all without her partner.

Her story shocked and saddened me, but I wasn't entirely sure I bought it. How did I know she wasn't just saying that? She might've wanted me to trust her, so I'd go along with her willingly and she could harm me. That could've been what she wanted, but at the same time, she could've been telling the truth. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I just had to know one thing.

"If you're one of the good guys, then why did you blow up that café in Paris?"

"That wasn't me!" she argued. "That was the Lemons! They must've followed me to Paris when I went to find you."

I studied her face closely to see if I could tell whether or not she was being honest, but I had no clue. I've never been good at that type of thing. There was a pause as each of us tried to figure out what to say or do next.

"I'll take it from here", Sammy broke the silence. "So... I guess you're free to go. Leave it to a professional. What's some dumb kid gonna do anyways?

I felt my blood boil. _Dumb kid_?! Who did she think she was?! Maybe I didn't know the first thing about being a spy, but I wouldn't say I'm dumb! Even if I couldn't tell if this woman was good or bad, she was definitely annoying!

Either Sammy didn't notice how annoyed I was or she didn't care. "Where's McMissile?"

"He... got taken."

"Oh."

* * *

" **WHOA!** " I heard a familiar voice shout somewhere above me.

I glanced up. So did Sammy. There was Mater, sailing through the air with an orange parachute!

" **MATER!** " I screamed.

Luckily, he seemed to hear me. " **FUDGE!** " he hollered, sending his tow hook back down to Earth. "Hang on!"

I didn't hesitate to obey. I used the magnet inside my watch to grab onto the tow hook. Unfortunately, Sammy did too, wrapping her arm around me as we were suspended into the air, which was quite terrifying. I was so afraid I was going to fall, but the magnet and Sammy prevented me from doing so.

By the time we'd climbed into Mater's truck bed, the tow truck had spotted Lightning inside the racing grounds.

" **MCQUEEN!** " he yelled.

He must've realised he couldn't get there fast enough on his own. He shot out his tow hook, attaching it to a speedboat. The speedboat towed us towards Lightning!

"Good thing we're going this way!" Sammy reported, checking her watch not unlike the one I had. "Says here we're getting closer to A113."

"Do you know who this guy is?" I asked as we rode through the air.

"Um... No, actually."

"How?!" I demanded, beginning to doubt Sammy's story. "Aren't _you_ the one who planted the tracking device?"

"I didn't spend much time with him on the oil platform", she explained. "And it was dark when I planted the tracking device. A good agent gets what he can, then gets out before he's killed."

"Uh-huh", I muttered sceptically.

"McQueen!" Mater yelled. " **MCQUEEN!** "

All of a sudden, I felt a drop. Mater had let go of the boat and we were falling to the ground.

"Whoa!" Mater shouted.

I screamed. Sammy threw herself on me, which I _think_ was to protect me. I realised it was going to take me a while to figure her out.

Next thing I remember was a scream followed by a series of loud crashes. It turns out we crashed into a stall selling Francesco Bernoulli merchandise. I was insanely sore after that rough landing, but I was all right.

"Thank Chrysler _that's_ over!" I sighed with relief as I sat up.

"Now, we gotta warn McQueen!" Mater insisted.

"About what?" I wanted to know.

Sammy was surprised. "Haven't you heard?"

"He's still usin' Allinol for the final race!"

Uh-oh! I'd heard Allinol had been suspended for the final race in London, but Lightning was still _using_ it?! This was bad!

"They're gonna kill 'em, Fudge." Mater's voice was soft and downright petrified. It was a tone I'd never heard him use before. "We gotta do somethin'."

"And we will!" Sammy vowed determinedly.

"Let me through! Let me through!" Mater called out as he raced to the head of the line to get into the grounds. "You gotta let me in! I gotta get through to warn McQueen!"

Sammy and I were hidden, so if Mater got in, then _we_ got in.

"You cannot come through here!" one of the security guards affirmed. "Back up, _signore_!"

"We have a lunatic at gate nine!" the other one radioed.

Mater tried to tell them what happened, but, of course, they didn't believe him.

"I repeat, lunatic at gate nine!"

"McQueen!" Mater called. "McQueen!"

It seemed as though Mater didn't want to wait anymore. He drove straight through the gate, ignoring the calls of the security guards. We were in!

"Fudge, Mater-" Sammy began.

"How do you know our names?" Mater interrupted.

Sammy rolled her eyes. "Because I'm a stalker, apparently. "Anyway, time's-a wastin'. You two go warn McQueen, I'll go see about Ol' A113."

So, we went in search for Lightning.

"Hey! There he is!" Mater cried abruptly. "McQueen! McQueen!"

I could see him too and joined in. "McQueen! MCQUEEN! It's me, Fudge!"

"MCQUEEN, THEY'RE GONNA _KILL_ YOU!" Mater shouted.

A car appeared and blocked my view of Lightning. When they moved, I could see him heading our way.

"Keep shoutin'!" Mater ordered when I told him that.

"McQueen!" the two of us shouted over and over again. " **MCQUEEN!** "

* * *

We kept that up until I felt a tyre wrap itself around my face and cover my mouth. As I'd done before with Sammy, I tilted my head back to see who it was. I barely had time to look up at the black Hugo before he started dragging me away. There were several other black Hugos and Professor Z all grinning sinisterly. The Hugo holding me removed his tyre from my mouth, which allowed me to let out the loudest scream I could muster. Luckily, Mater turned around.

"Fudge!" he gasped, charging towards me. "Let 'er go! Let 'er go!"

"Mater, _no_!" I shrieked, knowing that this could only end badly for both of us. And Lightning. We still hadn't warned him yet!

"Don't hurt 'er!" Mater cried, still trying to save me. "She's jus' a li'l girl! Please don't hurt 'er!"

Professor Zündapp and the Hugos looked at each other. They were quick to decide what to do.

* * *

In under a minute, both Mater and I had duct tape slapped over our mouths. Mater was towed by one of the Hugos. I was sprawled across another Hugo's hood, bound at the wrists and ankles. We both let out muffled cries, but we were ignored as we loaded into a trailer. My heart rate was at an all time high. The last couple of days, I barely noticed that my heart rate was fast, but this time, it was so fast that I _definitely_ noticed.

Mater's duct tape came loose and his voice was clear. "Let us go!" he yelled.

I could see Zündapp grinning evilly and his voice was just as evil. "You actually care about that race car? A pit you didn't warn him in time."

The trailer door closed. It was as final as that.

Mater and I were alone in the darkness for about a minute. I was hyperventilating and panicking at the thought of Lightning being killed by these sick, sick sickos! However, when the gas kicked in, I was beyond hysterical. I screamed and screamed until I succumbed to the effects of the gas. I wanted to stay awake, but I couldn't keep my eyes open and was soon in a deep sleep.


	23. P4: River Thames, Truth, Air Filter

**Chapter 7- River Thames, the Truth and an Air Filter**

The next thing I remember is thinking there was no way that this was happening. Mater and I couldn't have possibly been mistaken for spies. There were no Finn McMissile or Holley Shiftwell or Sammy Rose. There were no crazy Lemons trying to take over the world and had kidnapped me because they thought I- a clumsy, naïve eleven-year-old with her head in the clouds- had any chance of stopping them. Lightning's life wasn't in danger. I was at home, in my room, about to find out that the whole World Grand Prix was just a dream.

Unfortunately, not. It looked like I was in some kind of dark abandoned warehouse. I had a cream cloth over my mouth instead of duct tape and was bound at the wrists and ankles again. _Still?_ I wondered briefly. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that I was about to die; I just knew it.

"She's awake!" I heard a voice call out.

"Perfect!" a second voice responded.

Both voices sounded ominous. The dim light that flickered on also set the scene as ominous. There was an entire army of Lemons glaring at me without sympathy- Professor Zündapp, that orange Gremlin and green Pacer (who I later found out were named Grem and Acer respectively) and tons of other black Gremlins, Pacers, Hugos and Trunkovs.

I was afraid. I was scared. Frightened, horrified, petrified, terrified, however you want to say it. There were so many thoughts going around in my head. I couldn't see Finn, Holley or Sammy. Or even Mater. Where were they? Had they been killed? I couldn't believe I'd even thought of that for half a second! If they weren't here, then what did these Lemons want from _me_ specifically? I had a feeling I was about to find out. My breathing became heavy as Acer aimed a gun at me.

"So", Zündapp began, both his voice and his grey eyes as cold as Antarctica, "I am sure you have heard all about our plans to end alternative fuel forever and force cars back to gasoline. Though, you probably think we have forgotten one thing. With gasoline being the only source of fuel and we Lemons becoming the most powerful cars in the world, what is going to happen to all of the humans?"

I felt my stomach drop as if I were on a roller coaster (only this drop in my stomach was a lot less pleasurable; I love roller coasters, but I digress). I didn't like where this was going.

Professor Z rolled closer to me with an evil grin. He looked me deep in the eyes. (God! I will never forget those eyes!) "Would you like to find out?"

Before I had time to react, Grem sent his tyre directly into my stomach, slamming me hard. I moaned in pain, but I couldn't get away.

I was there for a long time. You probably don't want to know all the details any more than I care to go into them. All you need to know is that it was merciless and extensive. My body was covered in bruises and my hair was tangled and bright red. I screamed and screamed, but to no avail.

"You can scream all you wish, human", Zündapp informed me at one point. "But I am afraid that no one can hear you."

"Where's Finn?!" I demanded. "And Mater?!"

There was a pause before every last car burst out laughing hysterically.

"Where do you _think_ they are?!" Acer snickered. "We _killed_ them!"

I gasped softly. No! Mater and Finn were _dead_?! This couldn't be happening! It just couldn't! I was too shocked to even cry.

"And guess what!" Grem chimed in with that sinister grin. "Now, we're gonna do the same thing to you!"

I knew all along that they were going to kill me, but when I actually heard them say it, I think my blood turned into ice.

* * *

It went on for a couple of hours. I was relieved to hear the Big Boss radio them, insisting that he needed them. He was still using that disguised voice from the Lemon meeting.

"But we're busy with the human!" Grem protested.

" _You can finish off with that later!_ " the mastermind yelled at him. " _This is more important!_ "

I didn't really being called a _that_ or hearing that their plans to kill innocent people- including my _brother_ \- were more important than me, but I didn't focus on that. I just watched in relief as the Lemons filed out of the room. Good riddance.

 _It's not over!_ I told myself when they were gone as a flood of tears mixed in with a pool of blood. They were gonna come back and finish the job. I couldn't take any more of this! How could I possibly get out of here? There was no way, I decided. Besides, what would happen if I _did_ escape? I knew I'd have to find Lightning, but how was I supposed to do that? And what if they found me? What would they do to me then?

As it turned out, I didn't have to worry about any kind of plan to escape. That was taken care of _for_ me. I nearly jumped right out of my skin when I heard the boom. An entire wall had been destroyed and sunlight came pouring in. I couldn't believe who was there.

"Sammy!" I cried and I found myself glad to see her.

"And _that's_ why I put in your tracking device!" she laughed, putting down her rocket launcher and cutting through my ropes with a knife. When she was done, she scooped me up bridal style. "Come on! The chopper's waiting for us!"

Unfortunately, things weren't gonna be easy. An alarm started blaring and all of the Lemons returned to the room. They had us surrounded.

Sammy muttered a word I won't repeat before carrying me out the hole where the wall once was. I heard a helicopter whirring above us and was relieved. Sammy used her grappling hooks to climb up there. She was still holding me, but I held on too. I held on so tight that my knuckles turned white.

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Bullets whizzed past my head and I glanced down to see the many cars down below firing their guns at us.

"Sammy?!" I whimpered. I didn't say, _What do we do?_ , but that was what I meant and I'm pretty sure she knew it.

Sammy didn't answer. Well, she didn't answer with _words_ , anyway. She made sure I was safely inside the helicopter before sliding back down to the ground.

"Where are you going?!" I shrieked. I couldn't believe she was leaving me all alone.

"If I go with you, they're gonna track down and kill us both!" she explained. "I'll hold 'em off as long as it takes!"

* * *

Once she was back on the ground, the helicopter flew off with me. I didn't know where we were going, but as long as it was _away_ from those Lemons, then I was happy. We were up in the air for a long time before Sammy radioed.

" _Fudge, I need you to listen to me!_ " she instructed in a hushed voice. " _I was taken by the_ _Lemons._ "

"What?!" I gasped, knowing that I was now all alone. "Are you okay?!"

" _I'm fine_ ", she responded quickly. " _Fudge, I really need you to pay very close attention to_ _me, all right? Zündapp and his minions are on their way to get you._ "

I should've known they would, but I was pretty scared.

" _Don't worry_ ", Sammy assured me hurriedly. _"I'm not gonna let that happen. I'll let you know when and what I want you to do and you do it. No questions asked, okay?_ "

"Okay!" I agreed hesitantly. On one hand, I was glad to have someone tell me what to do, but on the other hand, I didn't like the _no questions asked_ part.

Five minutes later, I was told what to do.

" _They're heading straight for you!_ " Sammy yelled. " _And Zündapp's got a helicopter too!_ "

"Oh, for Chrysler's sake!" the helicopter groaned. "He's got a rocket launcher!"

I'd had enough of rocket launchers that week!

" _Fudge, listen to me!_ " Sammy repeated. " _You're going to have to jump._ "

" _Jump_?!" I echoed incredulously. "Are you _insane_?!" I knew that was a question, but I couldn't help it. I was several thousand feet in the air without a parachute! I was gonna die!

" _By my calculations, you guys should be over the River Thames in about ninety seconds._ _Your_ _watch should have a breathing apparatus and it works underwater. Just jump in the river_ _and stay underwater. I'll give you more instructions_ ", Sammy explained as if jumping out of a helicopter was a perfectly normal thing to do.

"River Thames?" I only just realised that we were in London! The city looked so small from the sky. There was no way I was going to survive landing in the river.

"I can't jump!" I protested.

" _I don't think you have a choice!_ " Sammy countered.

"She's right, Fudge!" the helicopter chimed in. "You don't go now, you don't go at all!"

Well, I guess I had to trust them. After all, they knew more about this kind of thing than I did... But what if this was Sammy's plan all along? What if she really _was_ working for the Lemons and she knew I wouldn't survive a fall like that?

Still, I knew they were right about one thing: I _didn't_ have much of a choice. My only other option was being blown up by a rocket launcher and that seemed even less appealing. Even so, as I stood in the open doorway of the helicopter with the wind blowing in my face, I just couldn't bring myself to make the jump. It went against all my natural instincts. So, instead of jumping, I just shuffled forward slowly. I shuffled forward until there was no floor left and I was sent plummeting towards the city below.

I screamed all the way down until I hit the water with an almighty splash. I wanted to resurface, but I couldn't in case of a Lemon attack. Luckily, I found the breathing apparatus and that made things a little easier.

" _Fudge?_ " Sammy radioed.

"Yeah?" Somehow, I was able to talk with my breathing apparatus.

" _Okay, just swim_ ", she told me. " _I'll let you know when it's safe to get out._ "

" _Roger that_." I hoped I wasn't there for too long.

" _Keep going_ , _keep going!_ " was all I heard through the radio for the next half hour before I finally heard, " _All right, I think it's safe!_ _Get on the bridge!_ "

It wasn't easy, but I managed to use my grappling hook to climb onto the Tyre Bridge.

"All right, I'm on!" I reported once I'd done that.

" _Great._ " Sammy sounded satisfied. " _Now-_ "

" _Hey!_ " an angry voice shouted on the other end. " _What are you doing?!_ "

Sammy used that word.

"Sammy?!" I exclaimed. "What do I do?!"

" _Fudge, run!_ " she screamed.

"Run where?!" I demanded, looking around.

" _I don't care! Just_ run! _Run, Fudge!_ " she shrieked.

That was the last thing I heard before the line went dead and I knew I was all alone.

* * *

So, I ran. I ran as fast as I could, but it wasn't easy when I was still covered in cuts and bruises and had wet clothes clinging to my skin. I was beyond scared and I felt helpless. Not only was I alone on this mission, but I was all alone in a foreign country too. I had no idea where I was supposed to go; I knew I had to find Lightning, but I didn't have a clue where he could be. I just knew I had to find him.

I figured he might be looking at the tourist stops. If I could find my way to Big Bentley and Buckingham Palace, I could find him there. Only I didn't have much energy left. I wondered if I could get a bus. Well, I didn't have any money on me, but I'd try to keep on the lookout for some money on the ground.

In the meantime, I just had to run. I did stop once to break down in tears, though.

"Luigi... Guido..." I sobbed. "I wish you were here... I'm scared!"

However, for the most part, I just ran. I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could. The Lemons almost caught me at one point and they would've if I hadn't climbed a fence in front of me. I was only vaguely aware of losing my shoes and socks when I did that, but that's a long story.

By that point, I was exhausted. On top of that, the pain of my injuries were starting to flare up again. To be honest with you, I'm impressed that I got that far. Now, I had to stop. I was about to collapse from exhaustion.

Yep. I just collapsed from exhaustion. I don't remember that all too well. In my mind, one moment, I was stood there, panting and barely able to stand. The next, I was sprawled out across the pavement, more blood coming from my forehead.

Several people had seen what happened and rushed to my aid. There was a lot of chatter, but I was unable to decipher a single word anybody was saying. There was only one thing I understood and it was the only thing I _needed_ to understand: edging their way to the front of the crowd, right before I blacked out, were Grem and Acer.

* * *

To this day, I don't know what Grem and Acer said or did to the crowd of onlookers (and I know I never _will_ know), but somehow, they managed to get away with me. The only reason I know that is because I woke up to a loud bonging noise. I gave a low groan as I struggled to open my eyes. I felt like someone had ripped off my head, used it as a football and attached it back onto my body. God! What was that noise? Couldn't I just sleep?

No! I couldn't just sleep. I'd completely forgotten where I was and what was going on! My clothes still felt kind of damp, but not wet. The cuts and bruises on my arm had already started healing and I was surrounded by nothing but gears. In fact... I was even tied up on one! In front of me, I could see that Sammy was too and she seemed to just be regaining consciousness like I was.

"Holley!" I heard a familiar voice shout from somewhere above me. I grinned when I heard that voice. It was Mater! He was alive! I couldn't see him, but at least I knew he was alive! "Finn! Where are we?!"

"We're in London, Mater!" Finn replied. "Inside Big Bentley!"

Big Bentley! The famous clock in London? I should've known! It made sense! If we were in London, then-

My thoughts were interrupted by a yell from Mater. I could see him now. He was suspended from a rope and was being dropped towards the large gears below. Now, I could see Finn and Holley too, tied up bumper to bumper on another gear above me. All of a sudden, I felt myself being jerked sideways and that's when I saw it. There was a large gear next to me that would eventually crush both Sammy and me! I saw Finn and Holley moving sideways too and I could only assume the same thing was going to happen to them too.

The thought of being crushed to death scared me. The thought of everyone from Radiator Springs finding out what had happened to us scared me. Lightning's planned death scared me. _Everything_ scared me! This was too much! I burst into tears.

"Fudge!" I heard Mater gasp. "Fudge, where are you?!"

"I'm here!" I wept.

Out of the corner of my eye with my vision blurred by the tears, I caught a glimpse of Sammy rolling her eyes at my response. "She's down here!"

"Fudge! Are you okay?!"

I couldn't say _yes_. "I'm really scared!" I whimpered as my sobs grew louder.

"Oh, this... this is all my fault!" Mater declared sadly.

"Don't be a fool, Mater!" Finn argued.

"But I am!" Mater countered. "Remember?! You said so!"

"When did I- Oh." Finn had realised. "Mater, I was complimenting you on what a good spy you are!"

" **I'M NOT A SPY!** " Mater exploded.

I gasped softly. Mater _never_ blew up at anybody like that. For a moment, the only sounds were my sobs and the echo of, _Not a spy, not a spy..._

Mater broke the silence after a pause. "I been tryin' to tell you that the whole time!" he informed the spies calmly. "I really _am_ just a tow truck! And Fudge ain't a spy either! She was tryin' to tell ya too!"

"But you wouldn't _listen_ to us!" I bawled. "This was supposed to be a fun trip with my family! _Why_?! _Why_ did this have to happen?! I never wanted to do this stupid spy thing!"

"Finn, they're not joking", Holley piped up.

"I know."

It took them long enough. I guess it was also kind of obvious by the way I was acting. A fearless spy wouldn't bawl like a baby in this kind of situation. They would think of a way out, wouldn't they? So, why wasn't that what Finn, Holley and Sammy were doing? They were all still and quiet as if they were accepting defeat. There _had_ to be something we could do... right?

"You were right, Finn!" Mater went on. "I'm a fool! And what's happened to McQueen... and Fudge bein' here is 'cause I'm such a big one. She _told_ me she didn't wanna do it and I didn't listen! This is all my fault."

I sniffled and hiccupped. "It wasn't your fault, Mater."

"It is!" he insisted.

It hurt to see Mater beat himself up like this. He was the most positive, happy-go-lucky person I knew.

"Mater, if this is anyone's fault, it's mine", Finn informed him quietly. His voice grew even more compassionate as he addressed both of us. "I should've listened to you both. I am so sorry I got you into this."

"And I'm sorry too, Fudge!" Mater added.

"Mater, it's okay!" I repeated. "It wasn't your fault!"

"She's right!" Sammy chimed in. She'd been so quiet that I'd forgotten she was there. "These things happen. Not to anyone _I_ know, but still."

Finn glanced down at Sammy. "Who _are_ you?"

"Oh! I'm Sammy Rose!" she introduced herself. "My partner and I were the agents you were supposed to meet." She paused before adding, "A Volkswagen Karmann Ghia has no radiator."

That was what Holley had said to Mater and me when we first met back in Japan. I didn't find out until after the mission that that was a code to identify themselves as agents.

* * *

Now that the truth had come out, we heard a strange noise. I looked to see that it was Grem and Acer coming up on an elevator.

"Good!" Grem greeted us. "You're up!"

"And just in time!" Acer added as Grem yanked away a cloth to reveal the "camera".

"Professor Z wanted you to have a front row seat for the death of Lightning McQueen!" Grem announced, making me tremble with sudden cold.

"He's still alive?" Mater asked.

 _Alive_. I felt a glimmer of hope at the word.

"Not for much longer!" Acer responded gleefully as Grem aimed the clock out of an open panel in the face of the clock.

My glimmer of hope went out the window. How long until the race? Were they going to do it right away or wait a couple of laps? Did we have time to get out of here and do something? I hoped so, but I didn't-

Once again, my thoughts were interrupted by the rotation of the gears. I screamed.

"Fudge, we'll be all right!" Finn called down to me.

"They're gonna kill Lightning!" I blurted out.

"I know."

"What do we do?" I demanded.

Finn's answer was not at all what I was expecting. "What _can_ we do?"

"There's gotta be something we can do!" I insisted, even though I wasn't sure myself. "Right?"

Sammy shook her head. "I don't think so... I don't think so."

I cried harder. I couldn't believe these spies! They'd all given up! This was not at all how I imagined spies acting. I hated everything about this. I wished this never happened!

"I... I wanna go home..." I wept.

* * *

I lay there on that gear, crying my eyes out for what felt like a long time. My heart just about stopped when I heard Grem's voice.

"Here he comes!"

Oh, God! This was it!

"Sammy?" I whimpered, looking straight ahead at my fellow human.

"What?"

"I think I'm gonna throw up!"

"I understand", she assured me quietly.

I _didn't_ throw up. I almost did, though. I couldn't see what was going on outside, but, even when I was blinded by tears, I could see that Grem had set the camera to one hundred per cent power. I remember the camera whirring to life and that noise scared me so much because I knew what was to follow.

" **NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** " I screamed as my eyes became Niagara Falls.

I closed my eyes. I was sure I wouldn't be able to see anything from that distance, but I wasn't taking any chances. There was no way I wanted to catch even a glimpse of my brother's demise. A flood of memories took over my brain. I thought of when I first met Lightning, all of the times he took me racing by Willy's Butte and on real tracks where he raced, our annual trip to Disneyland, talking and laughing with Lightning and many, many other memories. I couldn't believe that in a matter of seconds, he was going to be _dead_!

I squeezed my eyes shut as tightly as I could, trying and failing to prepare for the explosion to come, but it never did. I just kept telling myself, _Any second now!_

"What happened?!" I heard Professor Zündapp radio angrily.

What? Had it really not worked? Tentatively, I opened my eyes. I couldn't quite believe it and I was still scared, but through my tears, I managed a big smile.

"I don't know, Professor!" Grem answered unbelievingly.

" **IT SHOULD'VE WORKED!** " Needless to say, Professor Zündapp was not happy.

"What did you do?!" Acer demanded accusingly.

"I didn't do nothin'!" Grem shot back. "Ssh! I'm talking to the Professor! What's that, Professor Z?"

"You broke it!" Acer yelled just as accusingly as before.

"Is he okay?!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

" **QUIET, THE BOTH OF YOU!** " Grem ordered. He listened to Professor Z. "I understand sir, yes."

"What did he say?" Acer questioned.

"We go to the backup plan."

I did _not_ like the sound of that. Neither did Mater, it seemed.

"Backup plan?" he ventured.

"We snuck a bomb in McQueen's pit!" Grem clarified.

"The next time, he makes a stop", Acer put in, "instead of saying, 'Ka-chow', he's gonna go _ka-boom_!"

"No!" I cried as the two Lemons laughed as if this was the funniest thing ever. This was bad! Not only would Lightning get killed, but so would Sarge, Fillmore, Guido and Luigi. My uncles and my fathers!

"Don't feel bad, tow truck!" Grem taunted my brother. "You and that pet human of yours couldn't have saved him!"

"Oh, wait!" Acer joined in. "You could have!"

They laughed and laughed.

My blood began to boil. "You won't get away with this!" I found myself screaming at them.

"Oh, yeah?!" Grem shot back. "Who's gonna stop us?!"

The fact that I didn't have an answer made them laugh even harder.

Mater was seeing red too. "Dad-gum Lemons!"

" _Request acknowledged!_ "

I couldn't see what happened, but Grem called teasingly, "What?! You didn't think we'd take your bullets?!"

"That's right!" Acer added. "You got _nothing_!"

"Who're the Lemons _now_ , huh?!"

I watched the two of them roll back onto the lift and disappear, laughing hysterically all the way.

"Nice try, Mater!" Finn called.

"Dad-gum, dad-gum, dad-gum, dad-gum!" Mater shouted over and over again.

"Mater, what are you doing?!" I wanted to know.

He didn't answer me. All I know is that somehow he freed himself from the ropes. That was good, but he was sent plummeting downwards into a whole lot of gears!

"Mater!" Holley shouted.

" **MATER!** " I screamed.

"Whoa!" Mater shouted several times as he struggled to drive across the gears.

"Be careful, Mater!" I cried.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him make it onto the platform.

"Are you okay?!" I questioned fearfully.

"I'm fine, but I gotta get y'all out of there!"

"There's no time!" Finn argued. "McQueen needs your help, Mater!"

"But I can't!" Mater protested. "I'm just a tow truck!"

"It's up to you!" Finn insisted. "Go to the pits and get everyone out! You can do that!"

"He's right!" Sammy piped up. "Any idiot can warn a group of cars about a bomb!"

Mater shook his front firmly. "I ain't leavin' without Fudge!"

"Just _go_ , Mater!" I pleaded. "I don't want them to... to _die_!"

But Mater still didn't go. "What about you guys?!"

"We'll be okay!" Finn assured him.

"Mater, _please_ go!" I begged. "Do it for me!"

"Go and get some more dents, Mater!" Holley added.

"You got this, Mater!" Sammy encouraged him.

I watched as Mater took on a look of determination. I think he was glad that we all believed in him. So, he raced off to save Lightning, Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore. I watched him go.

* * *

So, it was just the four of us.

"So, we'll be okay?" Holley asked Finn. "Really?"

"He wouldn't have left if I'd told him the truth", Finn admitted.

The gears rotated once again, nearly squashing me. Just one or two more rotations and we'd be dead. My tears started up again at the thought.

"Being killed by a clock." Finn let out a weak chuckle. "Gives a whole new meaning to 'your time has come.'"

"Great!" Sammy muttered sarcastically. "That makes me feel _so much_ better about dying!"

" **I DON'T WANNA DIE!** " I shrieked.

"Fudge, it's all right!" Finn called down gently.

"But you just said-"

"Time?" Holley cut me off. "That's it!"

I saw her shoot out electricity from her Taser. She was trying to hit something, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"What are you doing?!" Finn wanted to know.

"Trying to turn back time!"

At that moment, the gears rotated once again. I could feel myself get even more pressed in by this gear. I was in pain.

"Holley, whatever you're doing, hurry up!" I screamed. I didn't mean to sound rude or like I could do a better job. I was just hysterical.

"Yeah, before we're all, you know, crushed to death", Sammy added in a bored, impatient monotone.

Whatever Holley was trying to hit, she got it then. For a nanosecond, I didn't notice anything going on, but then, my gear started spinning. _Away_ from the other gear. I couldn't help it. I launched into cheers.

"Good job!" Finn called. "Good thinking, Holley!"

"You're a genius!" Sammy chimed in, getting to work on the ropes around her.

Although, maybe it was a little _too_ soon to celebrate.

"Oh, no!" I heard Holley shout.

When I looked up, I could see them heading towards another gear.

"Drive!" Finn ordered. "Burn rubber!"

Both he and Holley did so. Instead of slicing their bumpers off, the gear sliced the rope! They jumped onto either side of the metal platform! Meanwhile, Sammy had tied the ropes that had once been around _her_ around a metal rod somewhere up above. She swung on the rope and landed on the platform. They were free!

That just left me.

"Fudge, I put a knife in your watch!" Holley called to me. "See if you can get it out and cut the ropes!"

"But... What if I cut myself?" I know that's the last thing I should've been worried about, but I couldn't help it.

"I have Band-Aids in here just in case", Sammy informed me, patting the pocket of her black leather jacket. "Now, get moving!"

So, I got moving. I found the knife and started sawing away at the ropes. The only problem was that I ended up sawing away at my own fingers a couple of times. Blood came trickling out of every single one of my fingers and they were all stinging. Still, I somehow managed to cut the ropes and stand up (I nearly fell, but I was able to steady myself).

"Okay, Fudge, the rope I used is still there! You just gotta give it one big swing!" Sammy instructed me.

I looked at the gap between the gear I was on and the platform. I was hopelessly uncoordinated and, although I could be a bit of a daredevil, especially when it came to racing, I didn't think I could do this.

"Come on, Fudge! You'll be fine!" Finn called to me.

I wasn't convinced. "I don't think I can do it! You guys go on without me!"

"Fudge, you can't stay there forever!" Finn reasoned.

Why not? That sounded like the best option to me.

"Besides, we _need_ you!" Holley added.

"But... I'm not a spy." What could they possibly need me for when they knew the truth?

"You are today!" Finn replied. "You can do it, Fudge! I know you can!"

The only reason I went for it at all was because my family were in trouble. I really felt like Finn, Holley and Sammy should've gone without me, but it was clear that they weren't going to. I had to do this. I gripped the rope as tight as I possibly could and did an almighty swing. I screamed all the way across and I was kicking madly, but otherwise, my swing was just as smooth and graceful as Sammy's had been!

Sammy grabbed hold of me and pulled me down from the rope when I was too afraid to do it myself. Once she'd applied Band-Aids to my fingers at lightning speed, we were ready to go!

"We've got to get to the course!" Finn announced. He turned to Holley. "Calculate the fastest way to-"

I got the surprise of my life when Holley sprouted wings and a tail.

"Done!"

"Oh!" Finn exclaimed, surprised and impressed. "Miss Shiftwell!"

"That is _cool_!" I proclaimed.

"They're standard issue now!" Holley explained.

"You kids get all the good hardware", Finn commented.

"Speaking of good hardware", Sammy spoke up. She turned to me. "Miss Rossi-Topolino. You're gonna need one of these!"

I gave the items in her hand a sceptical glance. "A pen?"

Sammy grinned. Then she clicked the pen before dropping it. To my astonishment, it expanded and transformed into the coolest thing ever: a hover board!

"Awesome!" I exclaimed excitedly.

Sammy had one too and activated it. "Let's go!" she shouted. "We got a race to save!"

However, before we could get any further, we all stopped. An air filter lay on the ground. It was labelled: If lost, return to Mater.

"What's that doing here?!" I wondered, oblivious to what that meant. I told you I was naïve.

"Oh, sh..." Sammy groaned, stopping short when she looked at me. "Dang!"

"I knew his escape was too easy", Finn muttered.

"We have to find him!" Holley announced seriously. " _Now_!"

Sammy turned to me. "Come on!" She and Holley made their way towards the panel left open by Grem and Acer.

"What?!" I questioned as I followed them. "What's going on?!"

"Those assholes planted the bomb inside Mater's air filter!" Sammy explained to me.

I almost started crying again. Almost. I was still terrified, but I was only thinking of one thing.

"Let's go save my family!"


	24. P4: The Final Showdown

**In case you didn't notice, there is another chapter before this one.**

 **Chapter 8- The Final Showdown**

"Mater!" Finn radioed as he raced through the streets of London while Holley, Sammy and I flew over London above him at top speed (which was actually pretty cool, but I had other things to worry about then).

" _Finn!_ " I heard Mater reply. " _You're okay! And is Fudge okay?! And Holley? And the stalker_ _lady? I didn't get her name yet-_ "

"We're all fine!" Finn assured him hurriedly. "Listen to me! The bomb is on _you_! They knew you'd try to help McQueen! When we were knocked out, they planted it in your air filter!"

There was a pause before I heard Mater's voice again. " _Uh-oh!_ "

"We're on our way!" Sammy reported.

"What are we gonna do?!" I shrieked. I was sure that Finn would have a plan.

I could hear other voices on the other end of the radio. There was Luigi's. " _Fudgie!_ " I wanted nothing more than to be with Luigi.

The next voice I heard was Lightning's! " _Mater! There you are!_ "

Sammy used a different word that time. One that sounds kind of similar to my name.

" _Stop right there!_ "

" _Oh, man! I've been so worried about you!_ "

" _Don't come any closer!_ "

" _Are you okay?!_ "

" _No I'm not okay! Stay away from me!_ "

" _No! Wait! Wait! Mater, wait!_ "

Nobody said anything, but all four of us picked up the pace.

A few minutes later, we could see the track. Mater was driving backwards with Lightning chasing after him.

"What's he _doing_?! Sammy wondered.

"He's trying to keep Lightning away from him!" I realised. "Because of the _bomb_!" Then I gasped as I saw Lightning grab hold of Mater's tow hook. "Oh, my God!"

I knew what that meant: if the bomb went off, not only would it kill them, but it could quite easily look like Allinol was to blame. That was just what the Lemons wanted.

For a second, out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like flames and I was terrified and devastated. Were they really dead? No. They weren't. The flames were from the rocket jets Mater had activated. He and Lightning were practically flying across the track and broke through the temporary barrier, outlining the racetrack! They zoomed through the streets of London, completely out of control!

"Mater, what have you _done_?!" Sammy groaned.

"Fudge, Sammy, follow me!" Holley instructed.

"What are we doing?" I wondered. "Shouldn't we go after Mater?"

That seemed like the most logical course of action to me.

"Zündapp's here", Holley informed me. "There's a chance we might be able to get him."

"Right!" Sammy pulled out two guns and twirled one in each hand. "Let's take that son of a b**ch down!"

Professor Zündapp was in his own private booth with a glass window and a clear view of the track. He wasn't looking at us when we arrived; he was too busy pressing the same button over and over again. He was so angry and when we showed up, aiming guns at Tasers at him, we only made him feel worse. With an almighty scream, Zündapp drove away from us, crashing through the glass on the other side of the booth. He landed on a WGP inflatable structure and raced off.

"The Professor's on the run!" a voice in another booth yelled.

"Someone's gotta get McQueen!" another voice added.

"Get McQueen!" a third shouted.

"Well, _that_ didn't work!" Sammy proclaimed, clearly frustrated.

"Now, what?!" I added.

"Sammy, follow me! Holley!" Finn called up to us. "We'll get Zündapp. You and Fudge help Mater!"

"Got it!" Holley confirmed. "Come on, Fudge!"

"Roger that!" Sammy and I chorused as I followed Holley and Sammy followed Finn.

* * *

Holley and I raced past the racetrack on the search for Mater. I was only vaguely aware of Francesco screaming, " **WHAT IS HAPPENING?!** " as we passed him.

"Where did Mater go?" I wondered out loud.

"He could be _anywhere_ with those rockets", Holley answered.

"Maybe I can find him with this", I muttered to myself, looking at my watch.

I couldn't. I did find something interesting, though. Remember how I turned on that recording device before the big Lemon meeting in Porto Corsa? Well, it was _still_ on! I'd have to get a proper look at that later. For now, I had to find Mater.

* * *

 **BOOM!**

I was distracted by a loud explosion. I could see it too, but I couldn't tell if what was going up was smoke or water. I just hoped that it wasn't the bomb, but I was quite convinced it was.

Until I caught sight of Mater and Lightning below me. Mater was still using his rockets to barrel through London.

"Mater, _stop_!" Holley ordered.

"No way!" he argued. "You could git hurt!"

Beep, beep, beep!

I glanced at my watch, which was giving me an alert. LMQ95 and FHH51 were heading directly towards us!

"Holley!"

She'd seen. "Oh, _no_!"

"What do we do?!"

"I need you to get in front of me!" she instructed me.

I obeyed.

"Is your gun loaded?"

"I have a couple of bullets."

"I don't really know what's going to happen", Holley admitted. "So, I'm going to need you to be prepared to use it."

"Okay..."

* * *

On Holley's cue, I gunned forward, taking my hover board as fast as I could, whizzing past Grem and Acer. This distracted them long enough for Holley to knock into them. The two Lemons were sent flying into a nearby bar. I couldn't see what was going on in there, but I heard several crashes followed by thumps, screams and moans and I even saw a tyre come rolling out of the bar. I was satisfied.

Even more so when I came to the stop in the middle of an intersection in front of Mater and Lightning! They'd stopped too!

"Fudge!" Lightning cried happily.

I wanted to give him a big hug, so glad that he was still alive, but I'd have to wait.

"Mater, we've got to get that bomb off you!" Holley began.

" _Bomb_?!" Lightning repeated in shock.

"Yeah, they strapped it to me to kill you as a backup plan!" Mater explained.

"Backup plan?! Mater, who put a bomb on you?!" the race car demanded.

As if on cue, Finn and Sammy arrived, throwing one very angry Professor Zündapp forward, wrapped in cables.

"Maybe ask this guy", I muttered.

"You!" Zündapp yelled, full of fury when he saw Lightning. He tried to lunge for him, but Finn held on tight. "Why didn't my death ray kill you?!"

" ** _DEATH RAY_?!**" Lightning echoed in astonishment.

"Turn off the bomb, Zündapp!" Finn shouted and it wasn't a request; it was an order.

"Are you all so dense?!" he shot back. "It's voice activated. Everything is voice activated these days."

"Deactivate, deactivate!" Mater shouted at the bomb desperately.

" _Voice denied_ ", a computerised man's voice responded.

My heart stopped when the countdown started.

"Whoops!" Professor Z laughed. "Did I forget to mention that it can only be disarmed by the one who activated it?"

Holley aimed her Tasers at him. "Say it!"

"Deactivate." His voice was calm and smooth.

This seemed a little too easy to me, which was confirmed when his voice was rejected with a, " _Voice denied._ " To make matters worse, the timer on the bomb _lost_ a minute. Mater gasped. I let out a whimper, which prompted Lightning to give me a gentle nuzzle.

Sammy shot Zündapp a murderous glance. "Damn! Should've known it wouldn't be that easy! Now, we've lost a whole minute to your..." I'll let you finish that sentence yourself.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I am not the one who activated it. Would anyone else like to try?"

I was so glad when Holley electrocuted him and knocked him out.

"Well, that was long overdue", Sammy remarked.

"You read my mind." Finn smiled at Holley as the professor tipped over.

Holley groaned and rolled her eyes. "He was getting on my nerves!"

"Mine too", I agreed, "but we still have a bomb to worry about here!"

"What do we do?" Lightning questioned.

"It's very simple!" a new voice spoke up. "You blow up!"

I looked around to find that each point of the intersection was covered by each Lemon family. Gremlins, Pacers, Hugos and Trunkovs. Finn, Holley, Sammy, Mater, Lightning and I were surrounded.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here. These are the guys that want me dead, correct?" Lightning assumed.

"It's nothing personal", the head Trunkov confirmed.

"Fellas, listen!" Mater begged. "I know what you're goin' through! Everybody's been laughin' at me my whole life too."

"Me too!" I chimed in. Time and time again, I'd tried and failed to fit in with any child tourists who came to Radiator Springs, but they all thought I was weird. I could understand how these Lemons felt, but what I _couldn't_ understand was how it could make them do something as abhorrent as this.

"But becomin' powerful and rich beyond your wildest dreams ain't gonna make you feel better!" Mater went on.

"You _don't_ have to do this!" I pleaded. I repeated what my family told me several times during my life. "All the money in the world isn't going to make you happy!"

The Lemons were silent. For a moment, I was cautiously hopeful, pretty sure it had worked.

However, the purple leader of the Gremlin family grinned. "Yeah! But it's worth a shot!" He aimed a gun right at us.

I opened my mouth to scream, but before I could, the Lemons were sent flying by a huge wave of water. I wondered who- or what had come to our rescue. Boy, was I surprised to see Red with his hose! Sally was right behind him. What were _they_ doing here? I thought they were still in Radiator Springs! Oh, well. They were here to help and I couldn't be more glad to see them. I wasn't about to knock it.

Before I knew what was happening, my family and the spies were all working together to defeat these Lemons. Finn used his grappling hooks to make a group of the villains crash into each other. Holley used her wings to ram into a group of Lemons. Sammy was spinning around, shooting Lemons and kicking them in the bumpers. I watched in disbelief.

She grinned at me. "Not bad, huh?"

"I don't know whether to be impressed or terrified", I answered.

Her grin expanded. "Yeah, I have that effect on people!" She started shooting again.

Guido removed their tyres so fast they didn't know what had happened. Flo blinded one with her beams and, by the time he'd recovered, Sheriff had placed a parking boot on him. When Ivan and a bunch of Lemons lunged for Lightning, Mater fought back with his karate moves.

"Go, Mater!" I cheered. "Use the 'What I Accidentally Did to my Friend, Luigi, Once!'" (That was the karate move he showed Finn at the airport in Tokyo.)

"Did he really call it _that_?" Luigi muttered from somewhere nearby.

I was too afraid to do anything, but I kind of had to when a group of Pacers cornered me. I whipped out my gun.

"Oh, my gosh!" Lightning exclaimed in disbelief. "Fudge has a _gun_!"

I pulled the trigger back, ready to fire. I think the Pacers knew how scared I was, bringing out their own guns! I couldn't move. I was too afraid.

"Fudge!" Sammy hollered, shoving me out of the way.

I fell to the ground and watched the bullet bounce off the wall and hit the Pacer who fired it right in the windshield!

"Are you all right?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Yeah..." I answered. "Whoa... You saved my life... Thanks."

"Don't mention it", she assured me. "It's all part of the job. We both knew you weren't gonna fire that thing."

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

She shrugged. "You're not a real agent. You don't have the skills to fire it."

She was right, of course, but her words still hurt.

However, before I could respond, I glanced up from my spot on the ground to see that the Pacers still had us cornered. I had an idea. With shaking hands, I aimed at their leader's front left tyre. All I could do was pray he didn't move. I pulled back the trigger and...

 **BANG!**

I got him right in the tyre, causing it to pop and him to spin. Unfortunately, he still fired the gun. I felt the bullet whiz past me and graze the side of my face! It hurt a fair bit and I could feel blood dribbling down my cheek, but I was all right. I felt a lot better when Ramone flung some purple paint onto his windshield!

Sammy took my hand and pulled me up to my feet. "Nice shot!" she congratulated me as we smacked each other a high five.

I couldn't help grinning. "Thanks!"

Her eyes widened all of a sudden. "Oh, my gosh! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine", I assured her.

"What happened?"

"Bullet", I explained.

"Inexperienced klutz", she muttered and I was hurt yet again. Sammy looked around. "Where's the bullet?"

I looked around for a second before I pointed to it. "There." It had lodged into the wall behind me.

I glanced around to see how everyone else was doing. They were all closing in on the remaining Lemons, looking fierce.

"Retreat!" the Pacer leader screamed, hobbling off on his flat tyre.

I watched them go, wondering why nobody was stopping them. I knew when they got around the corner. There was Sarge! He wasn't alone; he had friends in the British military and must've called them in to help.

"Thanks for the help, Corporal."

"Anything for one of Pop's mates", was the response he got.

* * *

Things began to happen fast. Luigi and Guido hugged me and fussed over my wound. The next thing I remember is Scotland Yard showing up to block off the street. Lightning, Luigi, Guido and I were all by Mater's side. Those guys were all trying to remove the bomb while I sat trying to listen to the recording device. _Trying_ was the key word. Everyone yelled at me to get out of there, but I stayed put. I was too busy and too concerned about Mater to go anywhere.

All of a sudden, I heard a familiar voice as part of the recording. They were talking to Professor Zündapp, but I didn't know this guy knew Professor Zündapp! It was Sir Miles Axlerod!

" _I don't care what measures we have to take!_ " Axlerod announced determinedly. " _Allinol_ must _be finished! We can't afford any_ _mistakes here, Zündapp! Lightning McQueen_ must _die_!"

" _I understand that, sir_ ", Zündapp responded.

" _And that's exactly why I have devised a backup plan_!" Axlerod went on. " _We attach_ _this_ _bomb to that tow truck. He's sure to try and save Lightning McQueen. We just wait for_ _the_ _right moment and we detonate it. That way, Allinol will still be blamed and we still win_."

" _Excellent idea, sir!_ "

" _Nothing can stop us now_!"

Oh, God! I had it.

I was brought back to Earth by Guido yelling in his native tongue.

"None of his wrenches fit the bolts!" Luigi reported anxiously.

That didn't sound good at all. At least I knew who did it all. He wouldn't get away with this!

"Mater!" I yelled. "Listen to this!"

But Mater wasn't listening to me. His eyes widened. "I get it!" he murmured softly. "I get it!" he repeated louder. "I know what needs to be done!"

"Fudge!" Finn called abruptly. "Get out of there!"

"But I-"

"This is non-negotiable, Fudge!" Finn broke in. "Get out of there _now_!"

"Mater, I know who's doing this!" I shouted, struggling as Guido led me away.

"Me too!" he replied.

"Mater, if you know what to do, then do it!" Lightning instructed him.

"What? No. I can't do it!" he protested. "Look, nobody takes me seriously. I know that now. This ain't Radiator Springs."

"Yes it is!" Lightning informed his best friend.

The tow truck looked his way.

"Look, you're yourself in Radiator Springs", Lightning explained. "Be yourself here and if... if people aren't taking you seriously, then _they_ need to change, not you. I know that because I was wrong before. Now, you can do this."

"And I'm with you all the way!" I chimed in.

"We all are!" Lightning confirmed. "You're the bomb!"

Mater smiled. "Thanks, buddy!"

"No, no, no! You're the _actual_ bomb!" Lightning clarified. "Now, let's go!"

"Oh! Right!" Mater realised. "Hang on!" He attached his tow hook to Lightning and drove right through the barriers set up by Scotland Yard. "Fudge, c'mon!" he called to me.

"Right behind you!" I jumped on my hover board and followed.

"Computer!" Mater barked.

" _Yes, Agent Mater?_ "

"I need that thing you done before to get me away from McQueen!" he requested.

" _Request acknowledged!_ "

The rockets were out as the three of us weaved through the traffic coming the other way.

"Uh... Mater?!" Lightning called out fearfully.

"Fudge, kin ya keep up?!" the tow truck wanted to know.

"Yep!" I answered. My hover board was going as fast as his rockets. I noticed something up ahead. "Mater! Building!"

Mater was way ahead of me. "Now, I need you to do the chute! The second kind, not the first!"

" _Deploying chute!_ "

Lightning screamed as the chute was activated, lifting both Mater and him into the air. I joined them, increasing altitude on my board. Soaring over London was pretty fun, but we weren't doing it for fun! We had a job to do!

"Where are we going, Mater?!" I questioned.

"This way!" was Mater's answer.

In the distance, I could see our destination: Buckingham Palace.

* * *

As soon as we landed, all of the guards were on alert. Behind them, I could see the Queen of England! That was pretty cool!

"Back up!" they ordered us. "Back away!"

"It's Lightning McQueen!" the Queen exclaimed.

"Get back!" the guards commanded,

"No, no, no, it's okay!" Lightning assured them, reversing back, looking at Mater and me. "Okay. T- Tell 'em, guys! Explain!"

I was too afraid to speak. "You go first", I managed to utter to Mater.

"Okay", Mater began nervously. "Somebody's been sabotagin' the race and hurtin' the cars and we know who! Oh, wait!" He realised he'd forgotten something important. "Your Majesty!" He bowed, but that turned out to be a mistake.

" **BOMB!** " the guards screamed. "There's a bomb! Everybody, down!"

I'd never seen a place clear out so quickly. Everyone raced away, screaming their heads off. The guards aimed guns at us.

"Get off the stage!" they yelled at us. "Move it!"

I burst into tears again. I'd never been more scared in my entire life.

"Hold your fire!" Finn intervened, placing himself between us and the Queen. "He can't disarm it!"

"I _knew_ you guys were gonna do something stupid!" Sammy added, jumping off her hover board. "What the hell were you _thinking_?!"

"Mater, I don't know what you're doing, but _stand down now_!"

"Fudge, it's gonna be okay!" Lightning tried to comfort me, scooping me up onto his hood.

"I'm really scared!" I wept.

"I know you are, but you can do this!" he assured me.

"This ain't nothin' at all like Radiator Springs!" Mater declared.

"Guys, just cut to the chase!" Lightning instructed.

"Okay." Mater gathered up his courage and pointed to Sir Miles Axlerod. "It's him!"

" _What_?!" he gasped. " _Me_?! You've got to be _crazy_!"

"I figured it out when I realised y'all attached this tickin' time bomb with Whitworth bolts!" Mater explained. "The same bolts that hold together that old British engine from the photograph. Holley! Show that picture!"

"Okay." Holley was a little confused, but did as Mater said.

I was still afraid, but I knew Mater needed my help. I had to gather up _my_ courage too. "And look!" I cried, sliding off Lightning's hood. I pointed at something in the photo. "You can see the tracking device right here! A113! Now, let me show you _this_!" I thought this was going to be a great moment for me. Unfortunately, all I got was an error message. "What's it doing? It's never done _this_ before!"

A113 had disappeared off the tracking device list.

"Oh, no! A113's gone!" I wailed as my tears started up again. "How did _that_ happen?!"

Lightning nuzzled me and scooped me back onto his hood.

"A113?" Axlerod echoed, puzzled. "What is _that_?"

"Let me find that recording..." I searched through the extremely lengthy recording to see if I could hear Axlerod's voice as part of it.

"Fudge, you keep tryin' ta get that to work", Mater instructed. "I'll tell 'em what I know."

I nodded, barely looking up.

"Then I remember what they say about old British engines", Mater continued. "'If there ain't no oil under 'em, there ain't no oil in 'em!"

" _What_ is he talking about?" Axlerod demanded as if Mater was insane.

But the tow truck was on a roll. "It was you leakin' oil at the party in Japan! You just blamed it on me!"

"I knew it!" I murmured softly.

"Electric cars don't _use_ oil, you twits!"

"Don't. Call. Us. _That_!" I sniffled angrily.

"Well, then you're fakin' it!" Mater insisted, rolling closer to Axlerod. "You didn't convert to no electric! We pop that hood, we gon' see that engine from that picture right there!"

"This lorry's crazy! He's gonna kill us all!" Axlerod tried to back away, but nearly fell right off the stage! "Stay away!"

"But Sir Axlerod created the race, Mater", Holley pointed out. "Why would he want to hurt anyone?"

"To make Allinol look bad, so everybody would go back to usin' oil!" the tow truck explained. "I mean, he said it himself in that dee-scized voice."

" _Dee-scized voice_?!" Axlerod echoed incredulously. "What are you _talking_ about?! You're _nuts_ , you are!"

Axlerod- and everyone else- seemed to think we were crazy, but Mater wasn't backing down. And I wasn't giving up searching for that recording.

"Mater, he _created_ Allinol!" Finn repeated.

"I _really_ don't think Sir Axlerod is the guy we're looking for, guys", Sammy deadpanned. "Finn's right. The guy _created_ Allinol _and_ the whole goddamn World Grand Prix. Seems like a lot of effort to go to just to hurt a couple of cars. If I were you, I'd drop it before we all die!"

"Yes! Listen to them!" Axlerod shouted. "Listen to the pretty lady! You're _crazy_!"

"Yeah, but what if he found that huge oil field just as the world was tryin' to find somethin' else? What if he came up with Allinol just to make alternative fuel look bad?"

"What if?!" Axlerod repeated as if this was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard in his life. "You're basing this on a _what-if_?!"

The guards- and Sammy- all must've decided it was hopeless because they all started clearing off. Well, Sammy stayed, but she didn't look impressed.

"Wait! Someone, save me!" Axlerod yelled as the guards left. "The lorry's crazy! _And_ the human! Keep away, you idiots!"

"Mater! Fudge!" Finn warned.

The bomb only had a few seconds to go. My tears were still flowing. In a matter of seconds, Mater would be dead. I couldn't believe this was happening! I was still busy working. Come on! I had to do this now! Where _was_ that recording?!

"Mater!" Holley cried.

"Someone, _do_ something!" Axlerod begged.

Was that it? It was! I found it, I found it! Yes!

" _I'll_ do something!" I announced nervously. "Because I have a recording right here of you talking to Professor Zündapp about your plans!"

"Professor Zündapp?!" The oil billionaire was definitely losing his patience. "I've _never_ heard that name in my _life_! You're insane, you are! _Both_ of you!"

"Are we?" With a huge grin, I played the recording.

" _Is everything ready, Zündapp?_ " a voice asked. There was no doubt that it was Axlerod.

" _Yes, sir_ ", Zündapp confirmed _._ " _Have you activated the bomb?_ "

" _Yes_ ", Axlerod replied. " _You just leave me to worry about that_."

" _My only concern is that it is voice-activated. What if the tow truck tries to disarm it?_ " Professor Z wondered.

" _I_ told _you to leave me to worry about that_ ", Axlerod reminded him _._ " _It can only be_ _disarmed by the one who_ _activated_ _it, which is_ me." There was a pause. " _Everything's ready._ _Tomorrow, Zündapp. Tomorrow_ _will_ _be the death of Allinol and alternative fuel forever. And_ _we will be the richest, most_ _powerful_ _cars in the world_. _As for the humans, who don't require_ _fuel? Well, we'll just kill them all_."

Axlerod looked horrified. That was the only way to describe it. Everyone else was staring me in astonishment. I'd done it! I'd convinced them! Axlerod looked from me to the bomb attached to Mater. He yelled out one word.

"Deactivate!"

At the very last second, the bomb switched itself off.

" _Bomb deactivated_ ", the computer reported. " _Have a nice day, Sir Axlerod._ "

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll have a nice day in jail where you belong!" I cried with a huge grin, unable to believe I'd just done this. "And the computer actually says your _name_? That's kinda dumb!"

The police had the Lemon mastermind surrounded in no time. He was hyperventilating; I think he was in shock. Mater popped his hood with his hook.

"The engine from the photo", Finn announced.

"It's a perfect match", Holley added, looking at the photo and comparing it to the real thing.

"Even with the tracking device", Sammy observed. "It's been switched off somehow." She faced Mater and me. "Well, I'll be damned!"

"How did the _tow truck_ figure it out?!" Axlerod demanded. "And how did the human _get_ the recording?!"

"Yes." Finn turned to me. "How _did_ you get all that?"

I was smiling so hard my face hurt as I told them. "Well, I turned on the recording device during the meeting in Porto Corsa, so we could keep any evidence. And I... just never turned it off. It must've gotten everything while we were knocked out."

"Brilliant!" Finn praised me. "Just brilliant! Quick thinking that really paid off!"

I was overjoyed to hear him say that.

* * *

I was even more overjoyed when my family came racing onto the stage and surrounded Mater and me.

"Are you okay, Fudgie?!" Luigi wanted to know.

"Yeah, I'm fine", I answered.

Pretty soon, we were hugging, laughing and cheering. Yet, I was totally unprepared for what happened next.

"Get your bloody tyres _off_ me!" Axlerod screamed at the police officers. "Don't you know who I am?! We'll get you all for this! See if we don't! I'll get my revenge! Mark my words! Long live Lemons! **LONG LIVE LEMONS!** "

"What a drama queen!" Sammy groaned.

I giggled, but it wasn't so funny when he lunged for Mater and me.

" _You_!" he snarled in our faces. "You two did this to me! You ruined me! I _will_ get my revenge! You will both regret this day for the rest of your miserable lives!"

He charged for us again. Mater was able to get out of the way in time, but not me. I collapsed to the ground.

"Fudge!" everyone gasped.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I insisted, propping myself up onto my elbows. I _was_ fine too. My ribs were a little sore, but that was no biggie.

However, it became a biggie fast. Axlerod was seething with rage and was determined to run me over. Before I had time to blink, I felt his tyre on my leg. He pressed down on it as hard as he could. I heard an awful sound- a crunch. That noise alone was enough to make me shudder. The pain was unbearable. I screamed.

 **One more chapter to go of part four.**

 **By the way, in case you didn't know, there is a poll on my profile and I would really appreciate people's opinion, so please vote on it! And, of course, please review.**


	25. P4: Sir Mater and Lady Fudge

**I'm so glad I've finished with part four. I didn't particularly enjoy it. I mean, I guess it was all right. It was just that I've written this all before and I didn't really have any ideas on how to make this different from _When Life Gives You Lemons_. At least part five, well, I wouldn't exactly call it original, but at least it was something I hadn't written before.**

 **Chapter 9- Sir Mater and Lady Fudge**

I had a broken leg. Plus, I had to have stitches where the bullet had grazed my face. Luckily, that was it. I knew after all we'd been through that day, things could've been a lot worse.

Still, that didn't mean I was happy about being stuck in hospital for a couple of days (at least I got a plaster cast, which I thought was pretty cool; I'd always wanted to wear one!). My family all came by to see me. So did Finn, Holley and Sammy. The three of them seemed just as concerned about me as everyone else. And just as proud.

"It took a lot of courage to expose Axlerod like that", Finn told me at one point. "You are by far the most courageous eleven-year-old I've ever met."

"Well, I... I don't _feel_ very courageous", I muttered.

Finn scrunched up his face in confusion. "Why not?"

"I'd never been more scared in my entire life!" I explained.

There was a moment of silence.

"Fudge", Finn began finally. "You're confusing being brave and being fearless. They're very different things. You were scared and you still did the right thing. _That's_ what bravery is."

I couldn't help smiling. "Really?"

Finn nodded seriously. "Absolutely."

When the others left my hospital room for the night, Sammy stayed for a few extra minutes to tell me the same thing.

"What you and Mater did today... That was... That was really brave. The two of you really impressed me. And I'm sorry I doubted you. I could see it in your eyes. I hurt your feelings when I called you a dumb kid." She sighed. "I was just trying to protect you. I couldn't be responsible for _another_ death."

"Oh, yeah", I recalled. "Rod."

"Not _just_ Rod!" she informed me. "I... I killed my babies!"

I wasn't expecting her to say _that_. "What?"

"Two boys. Jamie was three and Cody was eight months. One night, I put them in the bath and I heard the phone ring. I left to answer it, but when I got back..."

I didn't know what to say. I felt so sorry for Sammy and couldn't believe that happened to her. It was also the first time I'd seen her appear vulnerable.

"When I became a spy, I was determined to get everything right!" Sammy went on. "I just couldn't lead another person to their death. There was nothing I could do to save Rod. So, when you and Mater got caught up in this whole thing, I knew, I _knew_ , I absolutely had to protect you both at all costs. Which meant I said some things I didn't mean. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm okay. Really", I insisted.

Sammy smiled. "You're okay, Fudgsicle."

"What did you call me?"

"Fudgsicle", she repeated.

"Nobody ever calls me Fudgsicle", I commented.

"Are you serious?" Sammy asked me in surprise. "I figured with your name being Fudge..." She trailed off.

I shook my head. "Normally, it's Fudge, Fudgie or Fudge-O. Fudgsicle", I repeated to myself softly. "I like that."

Sammy laughed. I giggled. From when she'd saved me in that warehouse, I knew I could trust her. However, that was when I first thought of her as a friend.

"And you're okay too..." I trailed off, trying to come up with a funny name to call her. Finally, when I couldn't think of anything, I groaned in frustration. "Your name's not funny!"

Sammy burst out laughing again. So did I.

* * *

It appeared that my family and the spies weren't the only ones who were impressed with what Mater and I had done. For one thing, we were all over the news. That was _very_ exciting, but it got even better! A few days later, when I was out of hospital, we were invited to the Buckingham Palace to be knighted by the Queen of England herself.

"You should be very proud of yourselves", Finn insisted that morning.

"Are you excited?" Sammy quizzed me as Luigi was getting me up and was about to lead me into the bathroom to wash my hair.

"Yeah, but mostly nervous", I admitted.

"Fudge, we've been over this", Finn reminded me gently. "You just do what we tell you and you'll be fine." Finn, who had been knighted himself and had witnessed many other knighting ceremonies, had explained the process to me.

I nodded. "I know."

That didn't stop me from being even more nervous when we arrived at Buckingham Palace. I wished my heart could just stay at a normal rate. It hadn't for this entire trip. Still, I couldn't help but smile when I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection. Even I had to admit, I looked pretty good. I was wearing a silk dress, the most beautiful shade of bright blue, one white lace sock and shiny party shoe and I had a white rose pinned to one side of my head. The only thing that ruined it was the cast covered in drawings and the signatures of my friends and family. When Mater and Lightning saw me (everyone else had already gone inside), they looked like they couldn't believe their eyes.

"Fudge! Ya look like a princess!" Mater exclaimed.

"Wow! You look _beautiful_!" Lightning declared.

"Thanks!"

We had to wait a little while before entering the room where the ceremony would be taking place. I don't know why, but we did. At least Mater knew how to keep me entertained. He was trying so hard to make the guards laugh with the most ridiculous faces he could make. I laughed, but the guard didn't. It was quite impressive, how they were able to ignore something like that.

"Mater, let's go!" Lightning instructed with a laugh after a while. "You're on!"

This was it. I rose to my feet- well, my _foot_ \- and got ready to follow Mater, Lightning, Luigi and Guido.

"Let's do this!" I announced, filled with nerves and excitement.

* * *

My eyes widened at the size and the elegance of the room. I'd never seen anything like it in my life. I hobbled on my crutches behind Lightning and Mater and beside my fathers. I felt comforted knowing they were there. I felt even more comforted when I saw my family all at the front of hundreds of cars and humans, who had come to see Mater and me be knighted. There were my family from Radiator Springs, Finn, Holley and Sammy. (Sammy was wearing a red dress; it was weird to see her not wearing black.)

"Your Majesty!" the car at the front of the room began _extremely_ formally. "May I present to you for the investiture of the honourary knighthood of the British Realm, Tow Mater and Brittney Rossi-Topolino of Radiator Springs!"

I remember thinking that this guy made our names and _Radiator Springs_ sound fancy!

Lightning started to join the others. "Go get 'em, guys!"

Luigi and Guido had to go too, but they kissed me and told me they loved me in both English and Italian. I didn't want them to leave me, but when I saw Mater on my other side, I knew I was gonna be okay. I wasn't alone. Remembering what Finn told me, I bowed respectfully to the British monarch.

I lifted my head up curiously to see what the Queen was doing. She raised her antenna to tap it on each of Mater's fenders and each of my shoulders in turn.

"I hereby dub thee Sir Tow Mater and Lady Brittney Rossi-Topolino!" she declared, sending the entire room into cheers while the humans clapped.

I broke out into a huge smile, so excited that I struggled to form words. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Sir?" Mater repeated in surprise. "Shoot! You can just call me Mater, Your Majesty. I don't wanna hear none of this _sir_ business!"

"And I'm just Fudge!" I insisted. I'll admit, being knighted and given the honour of being called _Lady_ Fudge was awesome! No doubt about it! It just didn't seem to fit me.

"Not anymore, you're not", Finn spoke up from behind me as he and Lightning joined us. "I don't think you'll ever be 'Just Fudge' ever again."

"He's right", Sammy agreed as she, too, came over. "You two are Sir Mater and Lady Fudge from now until the end of time!"

I laughed. That was probably what Miles Axlerod had thought. Unfortunately for him, he'd been stripped of his honourary knighthood after this incident. Kind of funny, how he lost it and Mater and I gained it.

* * *

The rest of the trip was quite enjoyable. After having tea at Buckingham Palace, Finn took us all out for dinner at his favourite restaurant in London and the rest of our time in British capital was spent sightseeing. It was while we were sightseeing that I realised London was a fantastic place when you weren't being chased by Lemons.

"Big Bentley's pretty cool when you're not trapped inside!" Sammy commented with a laugh as if she could read my mind.

"Trapped inside Big Bentley?" Sarge repeated, puzzled.

"Yeah, we got trapped inside Big Bentley", I muttered.

Sheriff shook his hood in disbelief. "What _did_ those Lemons do to you?"

"You really wanna know?" I asked.

"Not really."

* * *

After a couple of days, it was time to head home. I couldn't wait to get home, but it was hard to say goodbye to Finn, Holley and Sammy. They were going to stay in London and were to become a permanent team of agents since each of them had found themselves without a partner. Plus, they seemed to work well together.

"Fudge, we may not have gotten off on the right foot, but even so, I am glad to have met you", were Sammy's parting words for me.

"Thanks... I'm glad to have met you too."

"Now, you take care of yourself, all right?" Finn told me. "We wish you all the very best of luck."

As we headed off to board the plane, I thought about a lot of things. First Of all, everything that had happened on that trip. Despite everything, it had been fun. Plus, I had a bit more confidence (like Finn said, I wasn't fearless, but I was brave).

Looking back at the three spies, I was quite convinced that I was never going to see them again.

Thankfully, I was wrong.

* * *

For the most part, life went back to normal after that. There were some minor changes like how I had nightmares about the whole ordeal, how I was still on crutches and the fact that my family had created a new sign to the entrance of Radiator Springs. This sign read, WELCOME TO RADIATOR SPRINGS HOME OF LIGHTNING MCQUEEN, SIR TOW MATER AND LADY FUDGE ROSSI-TOPOLINO. Ramone had even painted pictures of Mater and me to accompany Lightning's on there.

The other change was Mater. He was going around telling anybody and everybody the whole story. I highly doubted that anybody believed the story. I mean, the original story was unbelievable enough, but Mater has a habit of exaggerating. (I've tried to write this as accurately as I can remember; Mater's version would probably have UFOs in it!)

We made some great friends during the World Grand Prix; Lightning was no exception. He invited his fellow racers to Radiator Springs for an unofficial race since the race in London was never finished. On the day they were due to arrive, there were many tourists in town, which gave Mater a big audience for his latest retelling of our spy adventure.

"So, there we was!" Mater had all the makings of a great storyteller; he had so many people intrigued. "My rocket jets goin' full blast! McQueen, hangin' on for dear life when suddenly, them two nasty Lemons come out of nowhere, guns drawed! We was goners! But then! Out of nowhere, Fudge here on her hover board-"

"Hi." I raised my hand.

"-and this beautiful spy car swoop in from the sky to save us!" Mater concluded.

"That's a very entertaining story, young man!" a lavender minivan in the crowd commented.

"Oh, Minny, _please_!" her husband- a dark green minivan scoffed. "Come on! None of this _happened_! Rocket jets, hover boards, flying spy cars-"

"No, you're quite right!" a familiar voice called and I was amazed to see Holley land in the middle of Main Street. "It _does_ sound a bit far-fetched!"

"Mater, are you telling crazy stories _again_?!" Sammy laughed, landing her hover board. "I've heard you have quite the habit of doing that!"

Aside from the hover board, you wouldn't have been able to tell Agent Sammy from any of the other tourists. She wore sunglasses, a white tank top, denim shorts and flip-flops. I noticed that she had several tattoos across her arms that I'd never seen before.

"Yeah, well, I tend to cover them with makeup during missions", she'd explained to me.

One of her tattoos was her kids' names: Jamie and Cody.

"Holley!" Mater exclaimed. "What are you doin' here?!"

"Hello, Mater!" she greeted him. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Hi, Holley! Hi, Sammy!" I was grinning from ear to ear. I never thought I'd see them again, but here they were in Radiator Springs!

"Fudge! How are you?!" Holley wanted to know.

"A lot better!" I answered, trying to stand up and grab my crutches.

"Hey, Fudge! Why don't I come to you?" Sammy suggested with a laugh. She approached me and gave me a hug. "Wow! I really missed you! You doing okay?!"

"I'm fine!" I assured her.

"What?" a new voice piped up, pretending to sound hurt. "No hello for me?"

"Finn!" Mater and I cried in unison.

"Hi, Finn!" I hobbled over to him and we hugged.

"What are you guys doing here?!" I wondered.

"Well, we heard about the Radiator Springs Grand Prix, of course!" Sammy replied.

"Our satellites picked up an urgent communique", Finn added.

"Ah! So, you got my email!" Luigi realised.

"So, this is Radiator Springs", Sammy commented, looking around. "It's nice."

"Oh, man!" Mater exclaimed. "Y'all is gonna have a great time!" He addressed the crowd. "Everybody! This here is Finn McMissile and Sammy Rose! They is secret agents! Don't tell nobody!"

"I think, I _think_ , our cover's just been blown!" I heard Sammy whisper to Finn. Both of them were laughing.

"This is Holley Shiftwell!" Mater went on. "She's-"

"I'm Mater's girlfriend!" she interjected. "It's _so_ nice to meet you all!"

I think everyone's eyes widened and jaws dropped, mine included. However, it didn't long for my dropped jaw to transform into a smile. We were all astonished, but nobody had a harder time hiding it than Guido.

"Guido believe you now!" Luigi announced.

"Whoa! Honey! You got a nasty dent there!" Flo noticed.

"Was that from when you swooped in and saved them in London?" Van questioned.

"Van!" Minny admonished him.

"What?!" he protested. "I'm just asking!"

"Don't you worry, sweet pea! My baby, Ramone, can get that fixed up for you in no time!"

"No, no, no!" Holley declined. "I'm keeping that dent. It's way too valuable."

She and Mater smiled at each other.

"You know, there's one thing I still don't get", Lightning spoke up. "The bad guys hit me with the beam from the camera, right? So, why didn't I... You know?"

"Explode in a fiery inferno", Mater finished the sentence.

"Yeah."

"I'm just glad you _didn't_!" I declared, hugging him.

"Me too, but I still wanna know why it didn't happen."

"We couldn't figure that one out either", Finn informed him.

"Our investigation proved that Allinol was actually gasoline", Holley explained. "And Axlerod engineered it, so that when it got hit by the beam, it would explode."

Lightning thought of something else. "Wait a second, Fillmore. You said my fuel was safe."

We all stared at Fillmore, demanding an explanation.

"If you're implying that I switched out that rot-gut excuse for alternative fuel with _my_ all-natural, sustainable organic biofuel just because I never trusted Axlerod, you're dead wrong, man", Fillmore explained. "It was him." He pointed to Sarge.

"Once big oil, always big oil..." Sarge looked around uneasily. "...man."

"Tree hugger", Fillmore teased him.

"Wished we'd known that", Sammy muttered. "Would've saved us a lot of worry."

"You know what _I_ don't get?" I quizzed the others.

"What?" Luigi wanted to know.

"How did Axlerod turn that tracking device off?"

There was a moment of silence. Nobody knew the answer to that one.

"Well, we got the b***ard, thanks to Fudge and Mater, of course, and that's what counts", Sammy commented.

Mater and I beamed with pride.

* * *

It wasn't long before the Radiator Springs Grand Prix commenced.

"I would've taken you with me for this race, but I didn't think that would be the best idea", Lightning informed me ruefully, eyeing my cast. "Maybe when you're better. I just hope you're not gonna be bored."

I smiled. "I never get bored watching you race!" I assured him.

He returned the smile.

I certainly wasn't bored. I was in awe of the racers zipping around the track by Willy's Butte, sending dust fly. The only disappointment came when Siddeley showed up halfway through the race.

"Finn, Sammy, time to go!" Holley announced. "Siddeley's gassed, geared and ready to fly!"

"You're leavin' already?" Mater asked, disappointed.

"We've got another mission, Mater", Finn explained. "Just stopped by here to... pick something up."

Mater grinned. "Somethin' tells me you're not talkin' about souvenir bumper stickers!"

"Why, yes, Mater! How did you know?" Sammy joked.

"Her Majesty asked for you personally, Mater", Finn clarified. "We would've asked for you too, Fudge, but you're too young at the moment."

"But hey!" Sammy wrapped her arm around me. "Something to think about when you're older. CHROME could really use someone like you."

"Yeah, I'll think about that", I muttered, but my eyes were glued to the racers down on the track and I realised where I wanted to be. I just hoped my leg recovered soon. "I've never thought about being a spy", I commented honestly.

"Neither had I till I started", Sammy admitted. "There was this really complicated illegal activity going on at my college, which I won't bore you with the details of now, and I started investigating. And that's how I met Rod. Bad news was my investigating got me kicked out of college, good news was Rod was impressed with my skills and asked me if I was interested in becoming his partner. Of course, I accepted and I haven't looked back. That was three years ago." She looked to Mater. "There's no reason why that can't be you, Mater."

"But I told y'all before, I'm not a spy", Mater protested.

"We know." That was Holley.

"Spy or not, you're still the smartest, most honest chap we've ever met", Finn insisted.

"Don't forget massively charming", Holley added.

"And insanely brave and heroic", Sammy put in, slipping her arm around me.

"Well, thanks." Mater looked at me. "Whaddaya think, Fudge?"

I thought about that. "Well, I'd miss you if you did, but it _is_ your decision." I did and didn't want him to go; I wanted him to be happy, but if leaving Radiator Springs would make him happy, then like I said, I'd miss him.

"I'd miss ya too." My brother smiled at me and I returned the gesture. He looked back at the trio of spies. "As much fun as it was hangin' with y'all, this..." He glanced at the other cars beside us, cheering like crazy for Lightning. "This is home."

"That's all right. We understand. But I'll be back", Holley promised. "You still owe me that first date."

"And if you ever change your mind, our offer still stands", Sammy added. She grinned. "It's been an honour working alongside you both."

Finn nodded. "That's right. And if there's _ever_ anything I can do for you, _either_ of you, just let me know.

"Thanks." I smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I sure appreciate that, thank you", Mater echoed my gratitude. Then he broke out into a huge grin. "Actually, _there_ is one thing..."

I knew that look. "Uh-oh!"

"D'ya think I could keep the rockets ya gave me?" Mater requested. "Those were so dad-gum awesome!"

Finn was taken aback, but he glanced at Holley.

"Well... I suppose..." she answered.

"Whee-hoo!" Mater cheered.

"But you gotta give 'em back if you crash into a wall!" Sammy informed him, cracking a smile.

"I won't crash into a wall!" Mater assured her.

(I'd wanted to keep the hover board and I requested it via radio after they left, but Sammy refused to hand it over until I was off my crutches. Oh, well. At least I had it to look forward to.)

"Well!" Sammy announced. "Now that's all taken care of, I guess we better get goin'!" She jerked her thumb towards Siddeley. "The world needs us again!"

Finn nodded. "Right."

"Good luck!" I told them. "Stay out of trouble!"

"You too!" Sammy came forward and gave me a hug.

Pretty soon, all five of us were enveloped in a group hug. After about a minute, we broke apart reluctantly.

"Bye!" we shouted back and forth, waving madly as the spies made their way over to the spy jet. "Goodbye!"

* * *

Mater and I watched as Siddeley took to the skies with our spy friends inside. I felt a pang of sadness, realising that I was really going to miss them, but I tried to ignore it.

"Well." I turned to Mater. "What are we gonna do now?"

The tow truck was quiet for a moment. "I don't know 'bout you", he answered finally, "but I got a race to join." He glanced back at the racers, who were blazing past Willy's Butte once again.

I giggled. "Sounds fun!"

I think Mater knew how jealous I was. "Hey! Once you is off yer crutches, we can have a race! Me with my rockets, you on yer hover board and Lightnin'!"

I grinned. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Mater!" Sheriff shouted. "Just got a call on the radio! Otis needs a tow again!"

"I'm on it, Sheriff!" Mater assured him. "The fastest tow truck in Carburetor County is on his way!"

"You're not-"

Before Sheriff could finish his sentence, Mater activated his rockets and flew down the road, leaving the police car staring after him, flabbergasted.

The next time I saw Mater was under a minute later. He rocketed (pun definitely intended) past the entire pack of racers to catch up with Lightning. Side by side, the two of them raced towards the finish line. I laughed, watching them go.

Then I looked up. I'm not a hundred per cent sure, but I _think_ I could still see Siddeley on the horizon. I smiled softly. I'd been through a lot the past couple of weeks. I'd had the biggest, craziest adventure of my life; made some incredible, albeit unusual new friends and realised that I was a hell of a lot braver and stronger than I thought I was. Despite everything, it had been an amazing trip and an amazing experience, which I had loved. I was going to miss my spy friends too, but right now, there was only one place I wanted to be: home.

 **The End...**

 **Of part four! Still plenty more on the way! Thanks for bearing with me through this highly unoriginal part of the story.**

 **I kind of like the idea that Finn has been knighted. I mean, it makes sense. Now, I just hope Holley and Sammy can get knighted too!**

 **Please review.**


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